Echoes of a Past Lost
by RedAssassin0
Summary: After waking from cryo-stasis, James finds himself in a future that has long forgotten him. With nothing that even remotely resembling the world he once knew, he struggles with having a purpose for his life; though it seems like he's in good company with two Yorah androids who also struggle to find the meaning of their lives. Perhaps not everything is simply a remnant of the past.
1. Exhausted

**"In the blue skies wanning above**

**Red swallows the world as I send a wish to you**

**For a different time, a different place**

**Oh fly me away from this saltine crust**

**Above these poisoned waters of white**

**Hidden from the black shadow's grasp**

**My limbs grow exhausted**

**Let me sleep before the light**

**Lying in grass nearly dead**

**I send a final wish to you**

**Escape this end..."**

When he first opened his eyes, James Buchanan Barnes otherwise know as "Bucky", expected to see a very different scene than the one that greeted him. What he expected was an excited Steve or a somewhat regal looking T'challa with hands resting behind his back with a slue of Wakanda scientists pittering in the background; instead, after the blindness from a long stay in cryo subsides, he's greeted by what appears to be child sporting silvery-white hair and a black uniform. Even weirder is that a black blindfold covers his eyes. 

"Teli simu nesva senos ani chimo na yafare. Tseli senos kimo yafare? No ha korsnor sve sia nesva?" 

It takes a moment for Bucky to realize that the strange kid is talking. Something he can't identify. Besides sound swimming around his ears and a buzzing almost ringing sound drowning anything too low; the kid's jibberish in whatever language he thinks he's speaking, is barely understandable. There's a few words and word roots that he catches, but the recognizable is drowned in the flow of unrecognizable words that it leaves his head spinning and the tale-tale signs of a headache coming on. 

The kid is quiet for a moment staring intently at Bucky, or as close as you can get with a blindfold on. Even with it on, he's pretty sure he's being studied. He wants to send a unamused glare back but his face fails to cooperate. On the plus side, everything is becoming clearer the more his brain feels less like a giant ice cube. 

Like now he can see that the black clothes the kid has on is definitely a black uniform, probably military with how sleek it is. Though he'll admit he's never seen it, a whisper crawling in the back of his mind perceives that as a threat. He shoves it even farther and deeper than it was, but it somehow crawls back like a revengeful ghost. 

He ignores it in favor of the floating metal box that seems to be hovering in the kid's direction. "Kusta de eh oh Ikesa ii re" A robotic voice transmit over a tiny speaker. The little rectangles that seem like arms move up and down. 

"Iyaka ikare haiyaha ikar." The kid replies before turning back to Bucky. He lifts a finger up signaling the universe 'a moment please' ,before he finally asks "Can you understand me now?" 

"Yeah" Bucky manges to scrap out, his throat feeling scratched through with claws and raw. 

The kid's lips slightly turn down, he's not sure if its what he says or how he says it that causes it.

He wants to demand to see T'challa or Steve or hell, anyone he even slightly recognizes. The longer he's in this kid's presence the more questions he wants to ask. Something about him seems off. Something a little too perfect? But he keeps his questions to himself at the moment.

"Are you- okay sir?" The kid asks. The annoying sound swimming in Bucky's ears is nearly gone as he catches the strange accent the kid who can't be more than 15. A few red flags go up.

"I've been frozen for a while. What do you think?" He sasses. His throat a bit better, than the first time he talked but still not the best it could be.

The kid, the boy, frowns as if he doesn't get it before smiling; his whole body relaxing as if it all suddenly clicked. "You really are a human aren't you?"

Even more red flags go up.

"Yes? Aren't you human too?" His muscles feel cold-pressed as he shifts around; they screaming in protest as clumsily ejects himself from the cryo chamber.

An ancient tomb like taste lingers in the air as he gulps trying to catch his breath. How long had he been trapped in that thing?

An overly dusty iron crate is offered to him by the kid. He immediately sits down, grateful even though the thick dust makes him cough and sets his throat ablaze again.

"No sir. I am a YoRHa Scanner Android, No. 9 Type S model, designated as 9S for short."

"9S huh? You wouldn't happen to be something Stark made?"

The kid, 9S frowns before turning to glance at an area behind himself, obscured by a half wall. "No sir. I am unsure who 'Stark' is. Though. There is a mention of Stark scratched on the far side of this room."

Bucky studies the direction 9S indicates. He can barely see the deep gorges where something extremely sharp and thin dug into the metal. With a huff he pulls himself back to his feet. They still protest with the short stretch across the room. Beads of sweat trickle down his neck by the time he leans on the metal half wall.

On the other side, glass shards glitter while white grain lays in piles. There's several pieces of metal twisted and bloated scattered about along with thin fragile splinters of wood.

"We had to deactivate the metal shutters to get in." 9S supplies as Bucky approaches what originally used to be a glass and steel wall. Without the hindrance of the half wall, the scratches are more noticeable. Some are deeper than others, almost as if someone desperately clawed the wall. In bold long lines two words fill up a panel of the wall.

'FIND STARK'.

Warning bells ring in his head as he notices a pair of scratch marks leading to under a crumbling desk or cabinet. It's almost indistinguishable with the thin shambling wood. Gently Buckly brushes the debris aside. Inside is a prone form; the black casing lumpy and lacking form in other places. A few lines of silver reflect the dim white lights.

It takes only a few horrifying seconds to realize who it is.

"T'challa?" He tentatively asks as his flesh hand brushes off a layer of dust on what must be T'challa's helmet.

There's no response.

A weight settles in both his throat and stomach as he reaches with both his hands for the bottom of the helmet. He knows what he might see but has to confirm it.

Delicately he unclasps the mask with a click though when he pulls something creaks and cracks. He swallows as a mummified face stares back with no eyes. It's skin tight around the bones. A cheek bone broken in two.

The mask clatters to the ground.

He's seen and done worst but this... There's a sudden need for him to answer his now very pressing questions from earlier. 9S's 'Are you human?' question a pinnacle to his fear.

"9S?" He turns away from the scene not wanting to see what is Wakanda king's tomb. There's too many questions he needs answered.

"Yes sir?" The android responds. He turns to face him, his back to the entrance as if expecting something from the darkness beyond the room.

"Am I the first human you've seen?"

"Yes sir." He responds his voice chiper.

Plowing forward, ignoring the repercussions he fires off " What year is it?"

"It's 11,945 sir."

His still-frozen fingers refuse to stop shaking as he processes the information his oh so kinda companion has supplied him. The kid even has a smile stretched half across his face, the pure excitement entertaining if not for the proverbial icy water dunk he's just received.

His stomach lurges and he has a desperate urge to scream and not stop till he can't any longer.

He was only supposed to be asleep for a few years, ten tops.

Not asleep for thousands of years.

Humankind can't be extinct.

He can't be the last human.

He just- he just can't. 

**"Queen of beasts holds my heart**

**Her song sweet as white floats down**

**She unlocked from her cage**

**Wings spread far as she takes flight**

**Oh such a terrible sight**

**I weep tears of red for choices**

**Made after her fall**

**choices; we made**

**after all ."**


	2. Iniquitus

**"Cold darkness wraps itself around me**

**I want to demand why**

**But this body holds no voice**

**Only wails of an animal chained**

**Tears hold no form**

**In this limited existence**

**I laid myself upon this broken plate**

**expecting heat and flame**

**But the angels sang 'no'**

**All I want is the fire**

**Oh please let me burn."  
**

** 9919 Years ago**

**1202511XX HE**

Choking.

Something slithered around her neck; strangling, smuthering her.

A pair of invisible hands grasping her neck trying to pull her into submission. Is this how it felt? Is this how Natasha felt when...

She didn't want to think about it. The sight already horrifying enough; the memory possibly even worst. Her imagination twisting truth.

She couldn't catch her breath. Those hands gripping even tighter. The world swaying and shimmering, all too bright and blurry; herself cold with sweat and trembling. She was going to die. And there wasn't anything anybody who could save her now. When would the voices start? Whispering, promising things that couldn't be fulfilled?

She-she didn't want to be like Natasha. Or turn out to be like Clint. Or T'challa. Or Bucky. She didn't want to wait for death to find her. Confined to slowly die, or in her case, kill everyone. She wasn't going to be like them. Like any of them. She was going to do what needed to be done. She was going to make sure everyone stayed safe.

With this goal in mind, she took off. Speeding through corridors and corners, halls and rooms. People scattered and shouted after her, She could barely breath now, let alone yell back. They wouldn't understand. This needed to be done. Most of them stared at her back confused, but soon a few followed her, calling her name. But she couldn't speak anymore.

Black spots swirled in her vision, the edges disappearing to blackness, the air compressing, slowing her, but not stopping her. Almost there. Years ago, she made bad decisions, decisions she wished to take back, but it all was hindsight now. But she could do the right thing now. She could prevent deaths here. Just a little farther.

The doors exploded open, the metal boombing as it slapped into another peice of metal. The empty room, it almost soothing compared to the ghoulish hollows of the other humans. In panic, her dark blue eyes darting around the room til they landed on the object she needed. It needed to be done now, quick, before she lost her strength to follow through her conviction. To do what needed to be done. The object cool against her warming body, it hard to grip in her hand with all the sweat dripping off her body.

Steel screeched, making her jump and aim the object at the intruders. Black ate at her vision, the world becoming more of a hole as she sunk even deeper. The fathoms pressing further on her chest, her lungs, or throat. She could feel the shallow breathing and barely her wheezing. Every sound watery or wavy and becoming quieter.

The figure in the front held their hands up, in a pacifying gesture. The object felt warm in her hand now, she placed both of her hands on it, trying to steady the tremble. It only helped a little.

The other figures quickly left only leaving the front and another figure by the door. Something close to "she needs space" floated in her ear.

"What's wrong?" The front figure asked, keeping a safe distance from her, their voice lower but calm. Soothing almost. Acting more like they were interacting with a wild animal than a human. Then again it wouldn't be far off the mark would it?

"I need you to tell me what's wrong okay? I can't help if you don't tell me" The figure patiently waited, frozen like stone, as if waiting for her response.

Her breathing hitched only to start up again, she could barely hear a sound of something being suffocated. Sharp stinging cold entrenched in her lungs; it being painful to even breathe, much less talk.

"It's hard to breathe? Everything is closing in like the air is crushing you right?" The voice asked. She nodded. Unsure if the figure was speaking to her or if the voices where going to finally start talking, promising things to her.

"Alright I need you to breath with me then okay? " She vehemently shook her head. She couldn't except it, it was going to kill her and then it was going to kill everyone else.

"It's going to help you breathe okay? I've had these before okay? I just need you to breathe with me kiddo. " The figure's hands dropped only to slowly rise. "Breathe in" Then  
equally as slow lowered them in a smooth motion. "Breathe out."

Despite not wanting to follow the voice's commands, she found herself following the directions, her breathing less erratic and in tune with the voice. Blackness backing away from her vision, the spots slowly disappointing, breaching the ocean waves she was drowning in, her sight cleared showing two people she was familiar with. Fear covered her mind, but she knew she was safe. They weren't going to hurt her. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to hurt them soon. It was only a matter of a short time.

"Is that better?" The man closest to her asked. Gently she nodded her head.

The object, a Bretta pistol clutched in her hand, slightly lowered. The sheer panic slowly stepping back, though it's fingers stayed lodged, only waiting to come again.

"Good. Now I need you to tell what's wrong okay? There's a lot of people here with us. We need to know if something is wrong. Nobody is going to get you, or push you okay? It's just me and Scott here. " The man gestured to the other man in the room, his back leaning against the door. Scott giving a little nod to her. 'Me' turned back to her.

"I- I'm... I'm going to... N-Natasha..." She whimpered; words barely making themselves into symbols.

'Me' just stared, his face looking dejected, as if he knew what she was trying to say but knew it false. Before 'Me' could say anything though, Scott whispered in a panicked voice. " Oh fuck. Oh Fuck Oh Fuck OhFuCk OHFUCK OHFUCKOHFUCK." His voice raising into a crescendo. "Stark she's-!"

"Shut the fuck up Scott!" Stark roared, "She's not- She's having a god damn panic attack. She's not like Natasha. She's been here for months. She's god damn clean."

Her breathing hitched back, the panic covering her mind, the blackness swallowing everything again. Wet tracks trailed down her face. She knew it. Scott even confirmed it.  
Her whole being shook.

"Wanda-" Stark started to say before a shot fired off, the bullet ricocheting off the door.

"Stay away from me!"

Scott and Stark dropping to the ground as it bounced off another wall into a light. One of the overhead lights shattered making glass shower over a part of the room while the last remaining light flickered as the circuit broke.

"I can't hurt anyone." she shouted turning the gun from the men to the inside of her mouth.

"Wanda No." Stark shouted, launching himself from the ground to her.

A loud bang-

****

**Present Day**

"I think he's having a panic attack. What should I do 153?"

"I'm not the one who likes to study ancient history"

"I'm being serious! He's the probably the first human to be on earth since they left for the moon."

"Technically 9S, he's been the only human on earth since then."

"153!"

"Sorry but you would be the resident expert here not me."

"..."

"Maybe you could try talking to him?"

There's a moment of silence before a soothing voice comes closer. Bucky vaguely registers what it says, forcing himself to calm down. He needs to get out of this tomb. Needs to see the sun. It's atmosphere reminding him of Hydra bases.

"Thanks. I'm okay now." he puffs out, glancing up at the young android. How old is he even? The idea makes his head hurt. This is life now though. Talking to a a teenage robot. He's pretty sure his former self wouldn't believe him if he told the old 'Bucky' that he was going to be alive nearly 9000 years in the future talking to an android.

Bad news he's 9000 years in the future where humanity was probably dead, on the plus side no Hydra and he got to see the future. So yey?

"Are you sure sir?" 9S asks, a worried look plastered to his face.

"Yeah I'm alright." He stands back up from the ground. Sometime in his existential crisis he must of fallen down. No wonder the kid was worried. Or not kid? This was going to mess with him. His legs still somewhat stiff but walk-able. Like standing after feet falling asleep, not painful, but uncomfortable. A happy smile graces the android's face, almost pleased to see Bucky stand straight after wobbling a little but not hobbling like before.

"Can I ask you a question sir?" He nearly vibrates, his excitement coming back in full force.

"Sure kid, but could you stop calling me sir? You're making me feel old."

"But y-"He stops as if realizing that's not something he should continue with before starting again. " Could I ask what your name is?"

"Yeah it's-"

Bucky stops short. An idea dawning on him. He's so far in the future that nobody would know him. Or at least know him by his looks. He doesn't have to be 'Bucky' if he doesn't want to. He doesn't have to fit the mold of Captain America's best friend or the winter solider. He can just be himself. It's a liberating and terrifying idea. He knows that he was somewhat famous in the 2000's. There being a museum of Steve and himself. It's possible that information of Bucky Barnes is well known. But there's had to of been plenty of 'James's right?

"-it's James." he finishes lamely. He's not sure if 9S would comment on his hesitance.

"It's such- a human name." the kid beams looking like he's about to explode in joy. "Is it alright if I call you that?"

"I don't see what else you could call me." James's is pretty sure if 9S got any more excited he would start jumping. Instead he claps his hands together.

"James it is then."

A soft click echoes in the room surprising them both. 9S looking like someone gave him tuna when he said chicken but quickly perks up. Sending a smile and apology before another beep goes off. There's a quiet pause before 9S fires off "Guess what 21O!" Not even attempting to switch to what James guesses is the current language.

There's an audible sigh that comes through some type of speaker, though the exact location of the speaker is unknown to James. "We're back to this then." A female exasperates, almost as if this was a somewhat normal occurrence. "I see you ran into your friend again. I don't know why you and 2B always want to see his junk though."

"Its human treasures not junk." His voice hinted in disappointment.

"That can be debated later, but right now your mission needs to be completed. Machine lifeforms have been spotted 5 nyoroyo from your location. It's advised that you gather as much data as possible and return at a later date. It's currently unknown if they know about the ruin or the anomaly residing there."

"Understood Ma'am." 9S responds, his tone and behavior shifting. "Is it possible to have a unit sent for backup?"

"I'll contact other operators to see if they can assist. Kesti naste, phrita matisi. " A small beep quickly ends after.

"phrastra vi sohmi ki." 9S supplies the silence, his annoyance singing through.

"So..." James draws out, after a minute or two. "Machine Lifeforms?"

9S grimly nods.

"We need to get you somewhere safe, fast."

**"A toast of salt**

**A cup of vermillion**

**Drink in favor of your god**

**She speaks in subtle whispers**

**Giving glory and praise**

**To all who take her salt**

**I pledge my body**

**my soul**

**and mind**

**I am one with her"**


	3. Growing Wings

**"Absolve my crimes**

**For I will die**

**Only to be born again**

**and die once more**

**Forgive me not**

**Weep me not**

**I deserve this**

**punishment**

**this fate"**

Somewhere safe, as it turns out, is not the remains of the Wakandan labs. Then again with how much debris, dust, and general nuisance this place makes to get out of it, he's not complaining. The rooms, while some are caved in, are eerie to see and even more to be in. Some have piles of bones and slips of cloth with some type of discoloration staining the cracked concrete beneath it, while others have floors covered in gritty white sand-like substance that glitters in the limited light. Tables and chairs over turned, machinery smashed, holes in walls that were caused by explosions, pieces of something of ceramic quality, fragments of splintered wood, heavily rusted doorways looming over area, dangling light figures with glass beneath and the bizarre remains of something humanoid locked in glass.

James wants to ask or at least comment on some of the things they walk by but after the call with 21O the air around 9S seems sour. Almost as if in that little blip of their language 21O had said something unpleasant. The back and forth between them seemed like gentle ribbing or typical sniping between close comrades but now he isn't so sure.

They both walk past a mostly stable table with an empty coffee cup, it's bottom tinted a sludge brown color when James decides that there needs to some type of sound other than the whirling of the little bot and their echoing footsteps of this tomb. Because that's what it is. A tomb. A crypt. A testament of a tragedy in the past, like the people stuck in Pompeii, some running others awaiting their death. Except something else has happened here. Something he doesn't understand.

"So." He starts out, causing 9S to jolt out of his trance-like state, " Do you come here often?"

The android pauses for a second sending what might of been a perturbed glance and worry about James mental health before gently snorting. "No, it's my first time here." There's a pause, the sour feeling around 9S disappearing, as he begins again "Sorry. I realize this must be upsetting to you." he vaguely gestures to the room they're currently in.

"I've just... I've study a lot about humans and their technology. It's all fascinating." His voice gains an excited tone before tapering off "I didn't realize how all this would look to you. Seeing everything being taken away from you. It has to be hard." He glances down at the ground.

"It's not the first time everything has been taken away from me." James quietly replies. 9S stares back to him, something like sadness in his expression. "And it probably won't be the last time, but that's all in the past. I just. I just have to go with it, right?"

Gently 9S nods. "You're right." There's a pause. "Your legs are better now right?"

"Yeah I think so." The tingling sensation in them long gone.

"Good, if we hurry we might be able to slip past the machines without them noticing us. We're almost to the exit."

9S starts a slight jog, an invitation for James to set the pace. He quickly catches up, his feet slapping the ground in a harsh fashion. Even though he meant what he said, the place is starting to eat at him. He doesn't want to see another corpse and wonder what could've happened. It was in the far past and he wanted to get out and see the sun and sky.

It's only a few minutes later when they get to a cliff. Or something like a cliff. Apparently the whole facility has sunk a few stories down. Majority of the bottom is dirt and rock, the further up it goes the more industrial it gets with concrete, stone, and twisted rebar. There's also a large red steel beams at the top. A whistling of wind washes down from above, though no wind ruffles anything but it's enough to make James feel a little bit of relief. 9S looks at it as if puzzling a question before taking a running leap at the wall. His foot connects with a hard clump of dirt then kicking off having his other foot land on a descent sized stone. The stone dislodges from the cliff before clattering down to the ground but he's left it long ago, going higher and higher up the cliff.

James sighs. He slowly walks up to expecting he'll have to attempt to get up as well.

"I could take you up there." A voice states. James whirls around expecting another android only to see the little bot that has been silently following them is there. "It would be faster than waiting for you to climb."

An eyebrow slowly rises. "Would you even be able to get me off the ground."

"9S weighs more than you do. I should be able to." replies the bot.

"All right." He steps away from the mound of dirt and closer to 9S's companion. "Tell me what you need me to do-." He pauses.

"310."

"What do you need me to do 310."

"Just grip the side joints, one hand each as tight as possible."

"This seems like this could be dangerous." James's statement colored with humor as he tightly holds the places 310 told him to.

"Welcome to YoRHa. Where everything is dangerous and everyone doesn't make the best of decisions."

James snorts. "I guess I'm in good company then." he states only to be cut off as both he and 310 shoot off the ground. It only takes them 15 seconds for them to catch up to 9S who is nearly to the concrete portion of the cliff and continue up leaving him to meet them both at the top. The bot slows as they reach the top carefully depositing James on a stable peice of gray flooring.

"Thanks." 310 hums in return before turning back to the edge and go down. It doesn't take long for two voices to float up, one sounding like it's sassing the other till the other quips back.

It would've been vaguely interesting to listen to the duo if not the gentle breeze coming through a long hallway, a yellowish white light at the end of the hall. James step forward, turning it into a stroll towards the light. Most of the walls and floor showed the same type of decay with only a single set of footprints leading in. It drastically changed though when he passed through a doorway, The walls showed erosion, muddied walls, decaying leaves, small weeds springing from whatever crack they could, all giving the impression of earth taking it back into itself.

Despite wanting to go outside, he waits a room before the door, the outline of trees and buildings stark against the bright sky. The wind pleasant, warm even; it a contrast with the cyrochamber and the rest of the building which was not cold but cool and sterile. Lacking life.

Kulupp. It's a sound take makes James's head turn toward the entrance. A shadow christens the door as something with large flat feet enters the room. The thing has a cylindrical body with a spherical head, two lightly red tinted eyes on the head, thin arms and legs with tiny claws and feet like little windup walk toys. It almost looks like a toy he would've given to his little sister once a time ago. Time freezes almost as it spots James leaning against a wall in a position that couldn't of been seen unless inside the room, it owlishly blinks.

Time continues when it attempts to swipe at him, making a wide ark, trying to deture a dodge. James just barely escapes, the thing's arm dangerously near his kidney and pelvis. It goes for another hit, again missing while James tucks himself into a roll to avoid it's swinging arms and stomping legs. He's quick to get up and dashes to his left when it attempts to pile drive him into the wall. Going on the offensive, he brings his arm back and putting as much force as he safely can, without damaging his vibranium arm, delivers a cross punch to the thing's head as it turns. It doesn't fall over but it stumbles back into the crumbling wall, a semi decent dent in it's head, with one of the glass coverings over the eyes shattered revealing a menacing red eye. He attempts to send a few jabs at it's face but seems unfazed as sends an arm in an outward sweeping motion, launching him across the room into the wall.

Gasping from short of breath, he stands when it attempts to hit him again, he successfully sidesteps the attack giving him an opening. He goes for another cross punch making it stager to it's side before sending an upper cut to hopefully loosen it's head from it's body. It's unsuccessful but it does make it jolt forward from the motion and force. It attempts to hit him with a wide ark again but he's learned his lesson this time and stays to it's back, moving when it moves. Suddenly it starts spinning both of it's arms in a windmill style, effectively turning them into weapons. It quickly moves back, pinning James to stay behind it or get whacked by the arms. His back is nearly to the wall when he gives the room a look over trying to find something to his advantage. Above him a few thick roots and vines are within jumping reach.

He quickly takes advantage, grabbing the vines and hoisting himself up enough to get his feet in the perfect position before kicking the thing in the head with as much power as he can give it. Multiple snaps occur, the roots giving up his weight and dropping him on his back before he can swing back. Dirt and rock lands on him. There's a large crash of metal and stone and James blearily sits up to see the thing landed on it's face. A groan comes from it, it unmoving for a second before it attempts to get up again only for a sword to be quickly deposited into its head. Above is 9S holding a regal looking sword into the thing before taking it out and slipping it near his back. A golden ring holding it in place.

"You harmed it?" surprise in his voice.

"It attacked me first. So i punched it." James ends sheepishly.

The kid's mouth hangs wide staring at James as if can't believe it.

"That's- That's amazing!"

He rushes over grabbing the confused man's arm and easily pulling him to his feet. " You're going to have to have to show me how you did that!"

"Uh. Okay?"

"But first we need to get out of here. Did you see anymore machines?"

"No?"

"Alright good then. Hopefully that was just a scout. Come on" he motions to James to follow.

They only take a few steps outside when there's suddenly several machines around them. Some of them looking more menacing than the first one they killed. He attempts to  
keep the man behind him and retreat but another machine blocks the path back into the facility. 9S quickly draws his sword trying to watch and anticipate their moves of the machines around them. But there's too many to keep track and protect James at the same time, even with 210's help.

"You got any weapons I could use?" James asks. His back now to 9S's. He eyes the machines wearily, not too keen to fight them in close combat again.

"Nothing you would know how to use."

"I don't really think that matter right now" He shoots back. Them both going around in a circle trying to keep the machines away but it was slowly shrinking. "I need a weapon."

"Here." a woman says from above as a white sheaf falls to the ground. James's quickly takes the sword out; it glinting in the sun.

Glancing up he notices a woman with silver-white hair in a black mid-sized dress, a large sword in her hand with a bot of her own floating by her. "I see why you needed  
backup."

**"Saving another's life**

**is a hard price to pay**

**when you are mush**

**only to be suitable**

**to oil one's decay"**


	4. Deserving

_"It hurts_

_My chest aflame_

_I cough_

_I sputter_

_She looks so lovely_

_With her Halo_

_Made of fire _

_And Hair"_

**9918 Years Ago**

**1202603XX**

"So this is where you've been hiding?"

A door slams.

"Snibbling in the dark like a beaten dog. You're pathetic. How could you let them do this?"

"I have no say in this argument. Even if I could do something it's out of my hands."

"Like hell it is. You're the Sorcererer Supreme. You have to be able to pull out some mumbo jumbo out of you ass."

"If there was anything I would do it! I'm in the same opinion as you. It isn't right but morality gets shoved to the side when World ending circumstances happen Tony. I don't need you here to make me feel bad. I'm doing that well enough on my own."

Tony hurumphs but his earlier anger dims down to a simmer. He takes a seat into an old rickety wooden chair that's seen better years. He's not even sure how Stephen managed to find one considering everything else being bolted down."We can't let this happen Stephen. You know we can't."

"It's not for us to decide Tony. The council has made their decision." Stephen quietly sighs, gentling sitting on a thin mattress; the springs scream out. "They're going to start the collection tomarrow."

"Tomarrow?" His rage bubbling again "That soon?"

"They want to get working on it as soon as posssible."

"Don't you know a bunch of sor-"

"Majority of the China sect were in Shinjuku when that creature came." A look of shock passes over Tony's face, the flame of anger doused. "Ones who weren't already caught up in that mess, were quickly wiped out when Jericho fell."

A somber silence lingers in the air before he continues. "After the fall there were a lot of people who wanted to help and were quickly dispatched to help. Most of them died or turned. Others were stuck in Japan when the quarantine was implemented. There wasn't many of us left after that and after all this." He rolls one of his hands to indicate now, "I'm surprised that we even have the amount we do."

"I just-" Tony starts after letting all the information sink in, "I just can't condone this. Using children to fight this. To fight those things. Its not humane. Hundreds of children are going to die or be turned into weapons. If we're somehow successful. What happens to them? Being permanently stuck like that..." He dejectedly sighs.

"I understand your feelings about it. But we're severally lacking in manpower, especially after-" Tony glances at Stephen as if knowing what he was going to say. "-after what happened a few months ago." He pauses. "How are you doing? I know you two weren't particularly close but..."

"We may of not been close but that doesn't really matter now does it?" His face sours. "As you stated this is the end of the world. We need to stick together."

"I was there when she arrived." Tony humorlessly chuckles. " She ran up to me and started to bawl." There's a pause as if he's not sure if he should share but then starts to speak again. "She told me what happend in Wakanda. What happened to Natasha, Steve, and Clint. And how they escaped to one of the other safe houses only for it to get overran with those things. They had to leave Sam there. And how T'challa and Bucky were supposed to follow but they never did." He glances away his eyes growing slightly watery. "She apologized. For everything. Even if it wasn't her fault. Then hugged me like her life depended on it. She was absolutely terrified of those things and herself. Never wanting to use her powers ever again."

He finally turns back to stare at Stephen, giving him both a heartbroken but fierce look. "I said I would protect her and I didn't. I'm tired of loosing people Stephen. These children don't deserve this, orphaned or not."

"I want to stop this as much as you do but-"

"But nothing. I have an idea but I need to know if you're going to be on board with it. If you're willing to fight this."

Stephen doesn't verbally reply but gives a determined nod.

"Good. You still have the eye of Agamoto right?"

The sorcerer's eyes grow wide before waving his hand at the door, golden symbols appear over it. "Yes." he half whispers, half hisses. "What are you planning on Tony?"

"Something dangerous that will probably kill me"

"How am I not surprised?"

"Hey I thought I was doing a good job of keeping you on your toes."

"Unlikely." He snorts, but a small smile curves his lips. "So this plan of yours?"

_"A bird flies across the sky_

_It a smudge of blue across blood_

_Spiderwebs stretch around_

_Unmoving but enchanting_

_Glowing red as it burrows into heads"_


	5. Empty Tone

** 9926 Years ago**

**120180316 HE**

_**68 days before The End**_

"-despite her sister's death, she continues onward with her mission. I believe this shows us that Zera is a determined woman even if its for doing wrong."

"Very good Liz. Why do you suppose Zera is doing all this? Acordia doesn't give any reasons why Zera is planning the deaths of her sisters but I would like to hear the class's theories as to why."

"Yes Flash?"

"Because Accordia wants to show women can be just as evil as men."

"Interesting point but that's not the whole of it. Peter wish to tell us what your thoughts are on why she's doing this?

A quiet snap signals the closing of a laptop as a pair of guilty brown eyes appear behind its plastic pixelated wall.

"Um. Well... Maybe she's more determined to kill them since they killed Micheal? Or they betrayed her in someway?"

The teacher sighs. " I'm glad you can multitask but this isn't the time to be showing it off. Please take out the sheets that have Verse Three, Chord Two. Now anyone else in the class have any ideas?"

There's teenagers swarming everywhere once the bell goes off. The taste of freedom too palpable for anyone to resist. It's in this massive swarm of active bodies that Peter Parker finds himself in; elbowing and squeezing through the crowd. His locker clanks open as he places a few colorful textbooks inside while he pulls out a few notebooks. Lockers creak as a Filipino boy with dark brown hair and a black overstuffed backpack causally leans against it.

"Hey Peter."

"Hey Ned."

"I heard Mr. Harrington got onto you again in class." He slightly moves to the right when someone walks up to one of the lockers. "You guys are reading the Black Song right? My class got stuck with the Iliad." Ned makes a face. Peter pauses.

"What's wrong with greek gods, mythical battles, and destroying a city?" He gives Ned a weird look.

"Nothing's wrong with it I guess. I just I rather be reading about crazy goddesses, mythical creatures and destruction of a civilization."

The locker creaks as it's pushed closed, a mostly light backpack is slung over Peter's shoulder.

"When you put it like that you make it sound exciting. Instead of the actual drag it is to read."

"They're both drags to read but at least one of them makes a cooler movie than the other."

Only a few stragglers pass as the two start walking down the hallway. A few after-school-students give them a half-baked glance before continue on to their extracurricular activities. They're walking side by side when the hall clears; Ned nearly whisper-shouting asks.

"You going out again tonight?"

Peter forlornly replies "No. Mr stark said to lay low after the whole John Jameson thing until it blows over. It wasn't my fault that they tried stealing his car."

"That old guy who keeps blogging about you being a menace? When will he give up? Everyone knows spiderman's cool." He gives an indulgent nudge to his friend. "Hey! Since you can't do what you normally do, could you check out what this strange girl I keep seeing?"

"Thats called stalking-"

"No no. I mean weird. Like really weird."

"Weird how?"

"Like the weird Spider-Man usually checks out."

"Ned" Peter draws out, dropping his voice down to a whisper. "I can't."

"Yea you can. Mr Stark only said as Spider-Man not as Peter Parker. It'll be like an undercover mission."

"Ned no."

"Just come and see her okay? I swear when you see her you'll think the same thing."

He gives a dejected sigh. "Fine but if it gets dangerous you're hightailing out of there."

Ned hoots punching the air above him. "Come on then Pete." He grabs the other's hand before peter can move away and drags him as he rushes for the doors.

A subway ride, two transfers, and a fifteenth minute walk later finds them both in front of an alleyway near the museum of natural history.

"How did you find out about this again?" He asks stepping into the wide alleyway.

"A lot of people were talking about seeing some strange blue lights coming from around here."

Ned fishes through his backpack before triumphantly pulling his phone out, scrolling though a few screens to come to a black website offering a few words in white and a tiny video player. Tapping the screen twice, the player lights up showing as bright blue lights dance across the walls. The camera shakes a little when the recorder moves towards the lights till it straightens out as it catches a glimpse of a woman with a white blouse and skirt taking in a strange language as she gently pushes unknown words about. It ends with the lady suddenly disappearing, the lights also disappearing with her.

"Oh-Kay?" Peter hands back the phone. "But what does conspiracy videos have to do with this girl you wanted me to see?"

"The girl in the video is the girl I'm talking about." He exclaims. The mouth of the alley widens to a small open area. Trashcans, litter, and rock are strewn about, rotting the area in a traditional big city way.

Peter shoots Ned an unimpressed stare. "Seriously?"

"Yes seriously."

He sighs as if he can't believe he's going with this but he trusts Ned. If he says something strange is going on then he'll believe him unless proven differently. "Alright so how do you know it's the girl from the video?"

"So you know how we have that paper for world history class, the write about your experience at the museum? Well I was in the Spain area with all the inquisition stuff. I saw the girl there. She was muttering underneath her breath and swaying a little while she was staring at this sword. I was going to ask if she was okay when the sword practicality vanished."

A noise came to continue.

"She almost ran into me. Looking startled like she had been caught doing something she shouldn't. She then ran past me and when I went to follows she was gone. And the sword was back as if it never been missing at all. I thought it was all a weird dream when I saw her walk into this alleyway."

"So we should investigate the alleyway and try finding something weird right?"

Ned nods. "There's got to be something here."

"You take that side and I'll..." He stops short, his body feeling like insects crawling all over his body.

"Wha-" Peter's hand quickly claps over his friend's mouth. As if out of the smog or some other reality, a girl stands in the middle of the closed off alley. Her back towards them as Peter quietly as possible moves them both to hide behind several trashcans. Her long dark hair is tied in pigtails slightly swaying as she sets down a large lavishly designed suitcase. Same as the video, she's wearing a flowly white blouse with wide sleeves, a short plaid skirt and black thigh-high boots.

"That's!'_"

Peter's hand is again covering his mouth, nodding in agreement. He slowly removes his hand turning back to the girl who appears to be talking a language he's never heard. Her hands fling at several ways as if trying to make a point to an unknown recipient. They both start to back away as she's occupied. What ever she is, is a bit too much for what's supposed to be two 'undercover teenage boys', even if one of them is a somewhat well known hero; blowing cover wouldn't be the wisest decision. Both of them are nearly out of the alleyway when a set of footsteps come from behind them.

"Spying on someone?" MJ gives a raised eyebrow, her voice amused yet bored.

"N-No." The boys stammer.

"What are you doing here MJ?" Ned asks while sending a glance behind them; the girl no where in sight.

"History paper." Her reply simple. "What are you guys doing here?"

An uncomfortable silence surrounds the three; one expecting an answer and the other two at odds what to say. Suddenly Ned supplies a reason. "Peter saw this cute girl he wanted to talk with but isn't comfortable talking with her."

"Ned!" A elbow jabs at ribs as a an "oomph" comes out of his friend. "It's nothing like that at all!" His face a bright red attempting to defuse Ned's claim.

"Ned's a bad wingman. I got you Peter." She smiles widely as if knowing Ned was lying but still willing to embarrass Peter in the name of friendship.

"What no." He attempts to cut her off but she slides past, striding into dangerous territory. Both of the boys give each other worried looks. "Why would you tell her that?!"

"It was all I could think of." Sending a pleading look at his best friend. It takes less than half a second for them to be behind the same trashcans they were earlier. Peeking over the trashcans they expect the worst but what they observe instead is MJ chatting up the strange girl. Her accent a little strange but nothing too unordinary.

"-so I have this friend who wanted to talk to you. Thought you were cute." Mischief circling her words. "You can come out Peter. She promises not to bite."

As if one cue, Peter's shoved from his hiding spot. Stumbling he gives Ned a rude look before straightening to awkwardly wave his hand. Undercover his ass. He was so going to kill them both later.

When green-hazel eyes land on him, the creeping feeling returns. Only now in tenfold. She give him a look-over, her face scrunched as if not sure what she's seeing till her eyes snap wide. A wave of surprise and then panic sets into her frame. Quicker than either of the three can move, the girl has the suitcase in hand and vanishes into thin air.

"Holy cow."

"What the? Where did she go?"

Ned comes up to stand by Peter, in awe. "You saw that right?" He gives a nod in response.

"Alright you two. What's going on? And I know you two know." MJ's face scrunches.

"Well you see..."

* * *

**Present Day**

It had been a mostly pleasant day. After finishing her report for her latest mission, she found herself relaxing near the river with a fishing pole in hand and some bait curiously supplied by a "friend." Said friend often left bait for her fishing excursions though she hadn't been able to find out exactly which "friend" it was. It was narrowed down to two suspects, one being a subordinate and the other well... She wasn't exactly sure what he was. He wasn't even sure what he was. She'd asked on several occasions but never really got a straight answer. So she had dropped the line of questioning entirely. It wasn't worth loosing free-time over.

Even though she's been told several times that humans often sat when fishing she prefers to stand. With the wind ruffling her skirt and hair she sends the hook out with a flick. 042, a dark rectangular gray bot roughly the size of her head, lingers to her side. Patiently waiting for her to be done. Though hopefully for her, it's a long while before they give her another mission.

The stream coming out of a pipe trickles softly, the trees shasay in the occasional breeze, and the type of silence only given by nature; it nearly perfect. Plus no androids to send her bewildered looks.

A few fish later, a chirp comes through her com. "Hey 2b are you busy?" A peppy voice asks.

"Hello 6O." Inwardly she sighs. The pole is quickly digitized in a show of golden sparks.

"I have... a favor to ask of you. I know your'e always busy with missions, I mean not like right now, but you're always doing something really important and I don't want to take you away from it but could you- couldyoutakeapictureoftheplantcalledadesertrose?" She almost sounds as if she's pleading. "I mean you don't have t-"

"Yes."

6O pauses for a second as if her servers fried before launching in an excited tone "Ah- Thank you 2B!" Something that sounds like a happy squeak comes from the other side before an indistinguishable voice talks to 6O. It's only a few seconds when her voice comes back into focus.

"Ah sorry 2B that was 21O on the other com. My uh- mission will have to wait. 9S went to investigate one of the ruins and is requesting back up. Must be something really important."

"Understood. How far away is he from my location?" Her hand swishes as a small monochromatic cubistic map appears. A bright yellow dot blinks to life.

"He's 13 kilometers from your destination. I've marked your map with the location. Good luck 2B!" The call ends with a click.

She's tempted to sigh outwardly but refuses against it. Despite her annoyance, there really isn't a reason for her to show it. Plus she's disciplined herself to not do it. "042. Is there anything in the recent scans that show any machines near by?"

"There appears to be a group of machines moving in the location 6O indicated earlier. A little less than 5 kilometers away."

She give a little nod before jumping onto a pipe near by and then taking off in a full sprint, avoiding the looming towers of concrete in her way.

It's when she's less than a kilometer away when things get weird. And not the good kind of weird; the weird that means you should start to worry about a mission success or failure. It starts with the strange formation of some of the machines she passes. Mostly she avoids them, quickly taking out little groups if they happen to be in her way, but these machines, they seem off. And highly organized for a gathering of machines; all of them heading toward the direction 9S is.

The second peculiar instance is when 042 informs her of a heat signature that's really cool; as if the object in question had been chilled. At first she thought it might be 9S himself until a few seconds later his person was confirmed to be with the object. The interesting part about the object wasn't that it was cold or how big it was compared (or small) to the local wildlife but that it was moving without 9S's help. And it was moving erectly and fast.

The last strange thing but explained the second item on her list of things that could be problems, is the appearance of another male android. The object, now confirmed as the other android, was circling around with 9S at his back. His appearance odd with scruffy shoulder-length brown hair, something that looked like her underwear for her uniform but cut off at the hip, a pair of blue pants made from some unknown material, shoe-less and hair somehow sticking or coming out of his chin. But his looks weren't the oddest thing about this android. No. The oddest thing about this android was the tongue he was speaking; a language that most old androids wouldn't even know. A language so old that only a few cared to learn it or even speak it. Its a good thing she's one of those androids.

"Here." she states from the hill overlooking them, tossing the android her Virtuous Contract. He nabs it quickly enough, drawing the sword from it's sheaf. The blade held in the undamaged arm while his other arm lacking casing grips the white sheaf.

"I see why you needed back up." She addresses 9S, drawing Type-3 from her digital space.

"2B!-"

Almost as if that was the magic word, the machines stop circling and lunge.

Instantly the world erupts in showers of yellow and gold as the pods open fire, the bullets ringing as they lodge into the hard shells of what must be machines. Unlike the one James fought not a few minutes ago, these machines are much larger. While the one before reached a little below his rib cage the ones now tower over him by several feet and instead of tiny rod-like arms or wind-toy feet they have long thick limbs with wide hands and feet. Some hold axes, some swords, others are weaponless, but don't look any less dangerous than those with weapons.

It's one of the machines with an ax that comes at him first; swinging in a downward tilt. He rolls to his left. Soil and vegetation fly as the ax smashes into the earth, missing James by a few inches. He's barely back on his feet when another machine swipes at him only to quickly fall as the woman (android?) from earlier viciously slashes into it's body with a sword larger than herself. He wants to be impressed but the machine with the ax charges at him, bringing the ax in a low diagonal. There's a horrible screech as the sword that was gifted to him makes contact with the ax. The sheaf acting as another fulcrum holds the other side of the sword as the force is gradually slowed but not stopped. He stumbles backwards before shoving the ax back. The machine almost seems perplexed to his actions; letting the ax be pushed to the side.

In the corner of his eye he can see 9S fighting another machine but with a long thin spear instead of the sword from earlier. A spray of sparks coming from the spot 310 is shooting at. For a second 9S glances over at him, a scowl crossing his face as he shouts something unintelligible over the smashing of metal and bullets. It's fruitless though, even if James could hear it, the machine begins to push on the ax again, this time forcing him to drag his feet through the dirt less he wanted no head. Vaguely though, he's sure he can hear his name, something that sounds like a command. Seconds later 310 comes flying in, the machines metal plates groaning as it's pelted relentlessly. Much like with 9S, 310 sticks to James side as the machine abandons pushing him and tries to smash 310 into the ground.

He dodges the hit, slightly swaying in the air before coming back to James's side. It screeches out in frustration attempting to land a hit on either of them but failing. As it goes again at 310, James comes to left, the side lacking an ax, trying to punch the joint and hoping that the metal in the machine from earlier is similar to the one this one has. There's a zinging sound as metal meets vibranium, the vibrating disorienting his arm, but leaving a crunched joint. Screaming the machine attempts to pivot but the joint twists making it scream even more. It attempts to bring down the ax on James but with it's movement limited it fails. Not to be outsmarted, the thing instead swings its arm at him. Despite blocking himself from the blow, he's sent airborne; his landing not soft as he clips the side of the woman. Pain rings up his shoulder blade as lands back on the ground, his whole upper right side on fire. The woman barely seems phased, only stumbling a little before going on the offensive again; attacking another machine lingering by. Even with the clawing pain in his shoulder he stands again.

The machine has somehow turned despite it's crippled leg begins to hobble towards James, the ax a makeshift crutch as the dirt flies up with the movement. As the machine comes closer, 310 focuses on the smashed joint, making the machine even angrier and faster. A few feet away it gives a frustrated yet pained shout as it collapses onto a knee. While it's arms are occupied James run up to its side to the back to scramble up on the ledges it provides to get a clear shot of it's head-body joint. With a strong shove he wedges the sword in the crack between head and body, sliding the sword side to side attempting to sever something important. Realizing what he's trying to do, the machine panics attempting to grab James but is too late as it's arms drops to the ground. The red in the glass eyes slowly dim, the body slumping until it's head is laying in the dirt below.

Breathing heavy, James glances up, seeing the motionless bodies of several machines and two unmoving people; one with pure admiration and another who sends an unimpressed look as if performance was lack-luster at best. 310 quickly and quietly returns to his speechless owner's side.

"That was-"

"-Amazing"

"-Pointless."

The android and lady send each other looks, one bewildered, the other flat with an eyebrow raised.

"2B you don't understand, he's-"

"You're right I don't." she shoots back, shutting down what 9S was going to say. "But I'm sure I will after we get this android back to one of the camps and you fill out the report for the mission. Right now though we need to get out of here. I passed some machines on my way here and they appeared to be heading in this direction." As if she had given a command she starts to run.

"Wait 2B!" And then she quickly stops turning to 9S with a furrow in her brow. "He can't run as fast as we can!"

"Well then carry him."

"W-what?"

"He's important to your mission. And we can't leave him behind to fend for himself. So carry him."

"I can't do that 2B. He's-"

She slightly sighs before walking back over to James whose slowing backing away from 2B. "If you won't carry him I will." Quickly she wraps her an arm around his hip before hoisting him fireman-carry style on her shoulder. Both James and 9S have identical looks of shock. One in the fact that a small petite woman has lifted all 230 pounds of him like it was as simple as that, and the other that 2B would just pick up a human without asking them first. Both of these looks she shakes off, running towards the nearest camp with a James balancing on her shoulder.

A few seconds later 9S follows, his face the exact picture of horror and mortification.


	6. His Dream

**LOCATION UNKNOWN**

He doesn't know how he got here. One second his feet were submerged in hot sands, the heat pounding down relentlessly from the sun; the next he's in the longest and tallest hallway he's ever been. The air's cool almost cold, chilling even as he tentatively steps forward, his foot clicking on the gray concrete. It's the only sound in the barren place. He tentatively takes another step, it clicking and echoing off the concrete walls as well. Absentmindedly, his hands grip the cloth around him as he continues forward. A crawling sensation of dread inches around him, making the air feel even colder as he walks further and further from his first spot. Turning back seems like a bad idea, but he doesn't remember why it would be.

The more he walks the less it feels like he's moving anywhere. An old song curls around in his ear, something about now knowing where 'they were going'.

His hands twist the fabric around him even closer. Panic building despite his attempts to stay calm. Something wrong is in the air. At first, the place seemed like something underground, a basement of some sorts, but then his mind supplies a bunker, and then tomb. A tomb. A place to bury lost forgotten things, till some poor sucker finds him, pulling out his body like it's a damn treasure itself and not caring what he might of said or felt about it. His hands strain further, the fabric itself taut against him, as his breathing picks up. He knows that nobody is there, that they left him to die, even if logic asks who he's referring to. Or why he feels like he's dying. He doesn't know how to answer the questions. One second everything seems to be enclosing on him, the next the pressure, the dread is gone, almost as if a wave of water had washed it away. His hands slowly release, as the cold disappears.

For a second there is no sound other than a wheezing sound of something dying. Belatedly he realizes it's himself. Taking a gulp of air, he gently lets out a breath. A voice from long ago instructs him in his ear, in, and then out. In and now out. Once he can breath again, he wants to listen again to know who it is, but the memory retreats back, somewhere hidden. Leaving him alone, again, in the empty space.

He moves forward but unlike earlier, a sound other than the soft clacks echo. Something ticking. Curiosity draws him forward into the gaping darkness, the dim light fading till a prick of gold lights up further down the hallway. He isn't sure why but he's sprinting towards it, something warm and possibly comforting in the vastness of cold. The clicking slows as he approaches the object, a golden coo-coo clock. He isn't sure how he knows what it's called, but never the less he eyes the object in fascination. The sides are intriguingly carved, little golden flowers twinning around one of it's sides, while decorative slopes and cuts frame the clock face. Strange decorative towers twist both the top and bottom, while a pendulum carved like a flower, gently swings back and forth. The ticking gentle, almost sweet even.

His hands raise to touch it as a harsh chime rings out behind him, making him jerk away as if it had snapped at him. Turning he spots another clock; it a simple analog clock. A dull gold glow emits from behind it. Unlike the coo-coo clock he has no desire to be near it, he even has a strange compulsion to avoid it. Just staring at it makes the dread start to settle on him again. He quickly turns back around to only come to a wall of clocks. All ticking and golden but yet different. He peers up, attempting to see the end of the clocks, but they keep going further and further up till they're a smudge of gold in the darkness above. He glances back down but the clock from earlier has disappeared. He doesn't know why but something in his chest twists at it's absence.

Turning he notes, the other clock has disappeared as well, though the space where it lied is empty. The wall much like the one he faced not a few seconds ago is crammed with different looking clocks. The golden light makes the air glow in a strange shimmery way. Peering back from the way he came, the hallway just continues on and on much like the ceilings, but the way he was going seems to open up to a large space with five objects sitting before a large rectangular object nestled in the wall.

Ignoring the feeling that hes missing something or lost something, he slowly makes his way to the large room. Anticipation prickles as he approaches the objects which appear to be throne-like chairs. Three of the five are filled with ancient looking statues. The other two lie empty and in disarray. Looming over the life-like figures is a large rectangular clock in the same fashion as the first clock with similar flower motifs and slopes. Unlike the first one the pendulum lies behind a large glass door, swinging erratically but yet it's ticking remaining steady.

Mystified he comes closer, barely passing one of the statues when a pole slams nearly into his foot forcing him to back pedal. Glancing up, two pairs of blue and a pair of brown eyes stare at him from the statues. Statues that he realizes, are actually old men. While two of them send glares, watery blue eyes seem defeated upon seeing him. He takes another step back, the eyes follow. Twisted thin white hair, covers them all as gray cloaks pool around their feet.

Papery skin wrinkles as the one with brown eyes mouth snarls "You're not worthy enough."

The one besides him adds on, "You're not trustworthy enough."

A thick silence layers the air. The cruelest of the three turn their eyes expectantly at the last. Demanding he finish the insults.

"You're not... You don't remember enough."

He's suddenly on the ground, the sizzling sands scorching his hands and legs but he could care less. A sickening sensation washes through his body and he finds himself dry heaving. But nothing comes of it, not even spit. He's wheezing again or trying to. He can't get enough air, he can't even breathe. Tears prickle in his eyes, as he lets out a wet sob. He can feel the crashing blackness eating him, his hands dig deeper into the sand, grasping something and nothing at the same time.

He desperately needs to verify something, but he doesn't know what it is.


	7. City Ruins (Rays of Light)

It's only a few minutes into the run when the shock wears off and is replaced by a shimmering annoyance. No wonder girls never wanted to be carried like this. 2B's shoulder digs into James stomach as he re-adjusts himself, his metal arm carefully placed on the middle of 2B's back as his flesh arm grips the hilt of the sword, the sheaf left near the destruction of machines from earlier, with his elbow holding balance on 2B's shoulder blade. There's a warning squeeze around his thighs, 'do something inappropriate and I'll break your legs' but the warning is categorized in the back of his mind as 'save for later' as he takes in the landscape.

A landscape that is entirely different than the one he remembered. There the heat rained down; pushing suffocating as it mixed with the moisture , clogging the air and sticking to everything possible. The lush leafy greens and the long wispy strands of grass of the nearby savanna, all brimming with life with different possibilities. This place though. Whatever it once was or is now is much, much different.

The scars, the remains of humanity lingered in the tall lumbering buildings of concrete, eyeless windows hiding ghosts, rebar twisting out like snakes with a nest in the wall, but that was only half of what there actually was. Bright lush grass gently swayed and trees sprinkled in the cracks and crevices of humanity's graveyard. Despite it's sad portrayal of the past, it had an odd haunting beauty to it. A past much further back than it once had been.

His hands tighten; 'that's right' he thinks, more than a hundred years has passed and this time he had made the decision and nobody else. He was the one to blame this time, not a evil neo-nazi organization for his displacement of time. He couldn't find it in himself to blame T'challa; seemed as if he was supposed to wake sooner if the message was any indication.

'Find Stark' it had said. Was that message relevant anymore? Considering how long ago, it didn't seem likely but perhaps finding out where Stark had been could shed a little light on what happened between then and now. Something tells him, despite 9S and 2B living (existing?) now, they wouldn't be able to tell him exactly what had happened to Steve, Stark, and nearly everyone else. And how he had a new black and blue vibranium arm despite Stark blowing off his original one. So many questions but no answers. Hopefully he could answer a few of his questions. Then again, his mind had felt like over cooked spaghetti when he attempted to realign himself before; all the memories mushy and easily breakable. A total basket case. Guess there were some perks for being the last human. Blame the time displacement not his actual shattered mind. Not at all.

It's only a few seconds before a concerned voice, coming from the trailing android, speaks up. "2B, we are far away enough from the machines. I would like to request a rest."

"Normally you talk more than this. Why a rest?" A near monotone 2B asks, her pace slightly slowing.

"To check for injuries on the- a-android." His tongue tripping up.

"No. We're almost to the camp. The resistance can look him over. They'll have more expertise than we would about older models."

James cant help but think of old operation tables like the one he read in Frankenstein. His mind then jumps to an Android being on an adjustable table and then being more unhelpful, him on the table, someone poking at his insides. It makes his skin crawl. His mind was bad enough but messing his physical body up even more makes everything scream; wanting to punch or run, or possibly both.

He subconsciously can feel his arm digging into bone but he can feel himself preparing for an attack or escape. 9S goes from concerned to panicked realizing that something has spooked James when the whole world sudden flips, leaving James to look at the sky, while his brains get jarred from smacking into the ground.

"10 minutes. Afterwards you'll cart him the rest of the way." 2B tartly says. He can feel her disapproving stare through the blindfold. Somehow it feels even worse than Steve's, but at least with Steve he had some experience, hers not so much.

He can feel his heart ping at little at the though if Steve but the time for mourning would have to be saved for later. He stays there for a few seconds before 9S comes into view, offering a gloved hand. He takes it, expecting it to be a courtesy hand, but finds himself almost bodily lifted from the ground.

9S gives him a slight smile, slightly motioning to 2B who has stepped a good bit away. "Meeting more androids is kinda scary huh?" his voice almost seems joking.

"Not exactly what I'm worried about." He gives 2B a glance, a tiny frown on his face. He supposes he deserved that. Must of not been pleasant having a metal hand dig into your back. "The very idea of being a science experiment again doesn't exactly sit well with me."

A blank face passes over 9S's face, before morphing into one not of pity, but perhaps understanding. "O-oh." He seems like he's putting something to memory to investigate later when he gives what James can only guess is a determined look. "Then it's everyone's best interest that we don't go to the Resistance camp and make this a purely YoRHa operation then. The less people who know the less likely this will become a big fiasco. We should attempt to get the highest officer's attention, or even the Commander's attention for this, and we should probably-" A mischievous grin appears on his face, which makes James uneasy. "-let 2B know about some of the mission details."

While James can agree on a few points, he doesn't exactly envy 2B with how 9S seems to be buzzing with anticipation. Before he can suggest that he himself tell her that he's a human, 9S is standing beside 2B already. Her face is barely visible with most of her back turned towards him, but he can tell by her stiff shoulders she's still annoyed with what happened not more than a couple of minutes ago. In contrast 9S seems like an over-excited teenager, ready to let loose some major secret, then again he kinda is letting loose a major secret.

James isn't sure how he feels about being a major secret once again, the first time was bad enough, he wouldn't like a repeat session thank you very much; but being desecrate would probably play out better for him right now. Best not to put it in bold letter that yes he was a human, and even with the super soldier serum in him, he was much squishier than androids or machine lifeforms. He wasn't persuaded that YoRHa was his best choice, it could probably turn turn sour very quickly but with his lack of knowledge and weaknesses at this time, it would be best to stick with the friendlies than the unknown. Plus it seemed as if 9S, actually cared about his well being. Which was strange, if James was being honest.

From where he's standing, he can see the exact moment when 9S lets the news drop, the kid is practically beaming when what isn't exactly a full body shiver but a change of demeanor rattles through 2B. Everything has become compressed except for her hands which curled out of fists and into wide cups. For a second, she's frozen before she's pivoted herself in a single motion, marching right towards him. With a face that's mostly blank, she approaches him, stopping only a few feet away. Seconds tick by, with her unseeing gaze on him, almost if sizing him up.

"I apologize for my behavior earlier. I will rectify it immediately." She states in a stiff tone, as if trying to implement as a being without emotion, "I am the YoRHa Battle Android, 2B."

"I know." James dully replies. Her emotionless face should've triggered something within him, but unlike when he was the winter soldier without any type of feeling or emotion, there's the barest of hints in her posture that says she almost resigned to his response. An android unable to mimic an android, what would've Isaac Asimov thought about that?

There's a slight drop to her face at hearing his near deadpan answer, "In operations like this I am team leader, unless you wish it to 9S." A 9s who has found his way back over to both James and 2B.

"W-what no." the happy, excited look from earlier gone; only replaced with shock. "I can't do that, 2B-"

"He outranks us both; even the Commander herself. If he wants it that way he has all rights to do so." She curtly cuts him off. He can still feel her eyes staring at him, expecting an answer while 9S looks a bit lost. His mouth in a tight line, as if he hadn't seen this consequence. James hadn't seen it either but considering how little he knew of 2B and the status of humanity, he'd think he get a pass.

"Either one of you will be fine." Both androids seem to relax at the answer. "And I will relinquish control of the mission. I'll follow your lead unless it causes any type of physical or mental harm to myself."

"Sounds fair enough." 9S nods.

"I agree; your terms are fair. I can't guarantee your safety but we'll attempt to give you safe passage to one of YoRHa's shipping docks." 2B states bluntly.

"I appreciate your honesty."

She nods at James. In a commanding tone she turns to 9S "See if your Operator can get in touch with the Commander herself. Don't take no for an answer. I'll attempt with my own Operator."

James leaves it to them, deciding to sit on top of an old sewage pipe nearby while both androids attempt to radio their respective Operators. 9S a little away compared to 2B who stepped a few feet from the groups original position. He isn't sure if it was for courtesy's sake or attempt to keep the conversation from being overheard, but whatever the case he can hear her short answers to whoever she's talking to. Unlike 2B, 9S seems to have less luck with a scowl shaping his face; there's hardly any type of sound coming from him at all.

"Statement: You're human." A low electronic voice pans out, "That is not what we expected."

Shifting a slightly to his left, a small rectangular box much like 310 is angled towards him, except a lighter gray with a pale red to accent the arms.

"Well I would hope I am. It would be a real disappointment if I wasn't." He attempts to send the robot(?) a smile but he's pretty sure his face looks more constipated than friendly smile. The bot doesn't comment on it. James thanks the stars for that; his 'people' skills are as poor as ever.

"You really need to work on that." A higher voice he recognizes as 310 snicks from his other side. "That 'smile' looked closer to 'I'm about to kill you' than friendly."

"Do you hassle everyone you meet?"

"Only the cute ones" 310 chirps back to him. Floating over 310 stops beside the unknown bot. "This is 042, 2B's Pod. An-" 310 starts before begins hovering by James "-d this is James, our resident human ice cube."

"Statement: charmed. Inquiry: perhaps this would've been better to bring to 2B's attention that James has a name, instead of being called human?"

"I don't know Human has a nice ring to it. Don't you think so hu-man?"

"Uh no. Not really." James answered, slightly confused.

"That's disappointing. I thought it might catch on."

"Statement: only you would think that."

"You're going to tell 2B after this aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You're such a spoilsport. I bet she'd called him human or something of the sort."

"Commentary: Perhaps so. But how would 2B react to knowing that you enjoy her embarrassment resulting from lacking information."

" Why would 2B care?"

"Statement: Because 9S would care."

For a moment both pods are silent, both floating nearby each other, both nearly unmoving. James glances at them both, growing uncomfortable with the silence, but unwilling to break it. Suddenly there's an almost coughing sound, or a scoff.

"Alright you win this time 042. 9S would probably care a little too much about that."

"Statement: he's obvious."

"So is she if you know how to look."

A clacking sound from below draws all three's attention to a stone faced 2B. Twitching her mouth she looks up to a silent James, slightly opening her mouth as if tasting the words before carefully wording them into sentences, "Human, could you please come down. We will have to reorganize what we have planned."

A whirling wheeze comes from his side, no doubt it being 310.

"Sure." he says pushing off the concrete pipe onto a grassy ground. "It's James by the way."

"James." She slowly says, "I'll remember that." Turning she motions him to follow her to a mostly plan faced 9S, but by the curling of his fingers, he's aggravated or frustrated. Another not stellar conversation then. Both of the bots have returned to their owners; silence again surrounding them as if they hadn't been bantering back and forth not a few minutes ago.

"6O reported that the Commander was in a meeting with some of the high command in the YoRHa council." 2B begins," It's unknown how long it'll take her to return to post. 9S?"

"21O didn't respond to any of my calls. At the most I got was static." He reports."I'm not sure as to why she would refuse to answer. Or if not that why she left her post."

"That's... Not good. Is there anything to suggest what could've been found at the end of your original mission."

"Not really. I was sent to investigate a spike in energy which turned out to be the emergency power shuddering in the facility. Nothing to indicate a cryostasis tube shutting down."

"So if I had been left in there for much longer I would've died then?" James asks, startling both the androids.

"Y-yes." 9S stutters.

James silently sighs. Guess there was no way he would have slept longer. It was now or never. He's not sure if it would've been crueler to let him live or die; either way was some type of end for him, doomed to die alone and forgotten. He wasn't exactly promised the same thing wouldn't happen now.

"I guess I should thank you then. For waking me up." he awkwardly stops, "And not letting me die."

"Y-yeah. Your welcome." he almost seems skittish, "I couldn't just leave you there."

A throat clears, making both of the boys look at 2B. "While this display of emotion," she says shooting a stern look at 9S, "is nice, this doesn't solve the problem of what we should do while the Commander is busy and 21O's disappearance. Not to mention protecting James and hiding his existence."

"Why hide me away, if I could hide in plane sight?" James suggests.

"While it's a smart plan, none of us can exactly retrieve any type of YoHRa uniform without causing any suspicion."

"Why a YoHRa uniform? Didn't you say there was a resistance camp nearby."

"I did. Though there's an alliance between us, dragging the resistance in just muddies up the mission. Politics will make this way harder than it really needs to be."

"She's right," 9S confirms, "There could be a huge uproar of androids wanting to take possession of you just to keep you safe. Us entering with you will cause a surge of interest, especially since the outfit you're wearing right now would suggest you being part of the resistance. We usually don't arrive with androids we've revived and there hasn't been any recent joint missions between the organizations."

"What's to stop one of you going into the camp by yourself and retrieving the outfit?" He asks.

"Nothing much. Though it would bring the more curious of the camp to follow since I stopped by for supplies before leaving for the ruin where you were which was only a few hours ago. Especially with me bringing a large YoRHa uniform if my own is in working condition."

"And since 2B is a lady it would be strange for her to take a male uniform with her right?"

"That would be correct," 2B answers, her heels clicking as she taps her toes, "So hiding in plain sight isn't really possible but hiding in one area is not plausible. The possibility of machines finding us is high, and staying in one spot for hours on end looks suspicious."

"But hiding in sight is possible if we include a third party."

"Our operators are already at risk, including anyone else is asking for trouble. It has the potential to get out of hand quickly, politically and physically."Her arms cross, a displeased presence surrounding her.

"Not if it's Emil." A smile is sewn across his face, as if knowing it was the right answer.

"You want us to go see Emil?" Her voice critical, "Why?"

"Emil is a neutral party, belonging to neither side," he bites back, "He has a large variety of items not seen in any of the camps; including older YoRHa outfits, and weapons we might need, It also wouldn't be strange for one of the resistance following any YoRHa troops especially if they both were heading to Emil; it would appear as both parties just happen to be traveling in the same direction. And Emil is trustworthy, and never tells anyone's secrets."

"And if you had to withhold information from Emil to protect James would you?"

"... To protect James I would. Though I won't disway him from finding out the truth."

2B closes her eyes as if in defeat, being won over by the argument but James can hear the whisper underneath 9S's heated breath."He deserves to know the truth though."

There isn't an actual sigh but her resignation can almost be seen, her tightly locked arms slowly relaxing till dropping; "I suppose you know where Emil is then?"

"A good idea yeah."

"Better than none at all. Normal location?"

"Better safe than sorry." He says with a little shrug, a "what can you do" emotion on his face.

"Fine then, but what I said stands earlier; you get to carry James around." Her face is blank as her voice, but her words have warmth to them.

"2B-"

"No, I can run there. I rather not get suplexed again." James interjects. 9S's voice falls silent; 2B's eyebrow quirks while her left hand motions further inside the city.

"Are you sure?"

He gives a confident nod before taking off towards a crumbling highway with winding trunks strangling the infrastructure. Sparkling water splashes as he crosses the shallow creek to avoid one of the pillars before disappearing behind another trunk.

"Does he know that's the wrong direction?" 9S asks as he comes to the side of his companion.

"No."

"Or a sinkhole is nearby?"

A startled yelp comes from beyond the vegetation accompanied by tumbling gravel. Her lip twitches.

"No."

They find James at the edge of the gaping hole; while not at the deepest part, it would've been a good drop especially with how fast he had been booking it. His face is blank, more blank than 2B's which 9S thinks it's an accomplishment with how blank she can look. A tense atmosphere lingers over him as he peers down at one of the lower plateau, a long multi-parted machine weaves along the landscape of shattered concrete chips and twisted metal. Gray dust coats the bottoms of his pants while his hand grips a nearby trunk's branch, tiny little grooves in which where his fingers lay. Another piece of information to catalog and inquire about later.

James eyebrow raises as 2B walks up, "You have bad tastes in jokes." He sighs when she doesn't reply. "Wrong way?"

"Yes" she replies.

"What happened?" He motions before him.

"It collapsed in an attack a few days ago." 9S steps near James, careful not to go sliding down onto a ridge below. "A Goliath class machine started to attack the city, when we defeated it, it sent a shock wave through the ground, causing this section of the city to collapse."

Pointing towards a large pipe and chasm, he continues, "several underground tunnels were found over there but most of them are collapsed or inaccessible with ancient doors blocking the pathways or chambers. YoRHa and parts of the resistance are trying to get through but nobody has been having any luck"

"And that over there" he says pointing towards a cluster of chain fences nestled in some buildings on the far side of the hole and then some, "is the entrance to the resistance camp. Once we get you a YoRHa uniform we should be able to get in camp no problem. There we can rest and you can sleep."

"Kid I've been asleep for a couple thousand years; I think I've had enough sleep as it is."

"You may of been asleep, but you didn't actually rest. We have no idea what the effects being cryo frozen would have on you."

James nearly retorts but withholds. Telling him that he's been frozen and unfrozen so many times without any repercussions wouldn't help with keeping his anonymity. Instead he asks,"Are you always a mother hen or is that just with me?"

"A mother hen?" 9S slowly sounds out, tilting his head at the phrase. 2B slightly leans forward in interest.

"A Mother," 042 starts;"is a type of familial unit within a family. A Hen is a female chicken. Humans use to raise them before consuming them." James can feel the confused stares even if he can't actually see them.

"Never mind", he says in a defeated huff. "So where we're heading?" He asks.

"Report: Southwest of our location. Roughly 10km. Location has been marked on map."

A flick of a petite hand reveals a gray 3D area spread, quite similar to a Picasso. A little red dot appears on the other side of several tall rectangles, another dot, but yellow appears much farther from their location in a large flat circular area. A few other red dots as well as shaded red zones litter the surface but dull as the original red dot highlights itself. 2B's attention is elsewhere from the bright dot and motions to the yellow one.

"In the desert?"

"He said he was working on something there." 9S answers, his shoulders tense.

She only nods, her face neutral as she flicks her hand, dismissing the map. "Normal location then the desert."

Much like before, she bolts off the way they came, as if she had given the command. For a second both, James and 9S are frozen before James takes off after her, only to be followed by a more cautious 9S. Slowly he trails behind James, watching for any signs of fatigue or tiredness but finds surprisingly that he keeps up with 2B whose taken to more to a sprint than the full fledged run. If he's glad that 2B stays to the broken roads with its crumbling concrete than climbing on top of buses, roots, and tumbling towers just to get to Emil faster he doesn't show it outwardly. He wouldn't put it past her to do another "training" regiment with him. Then again he's also somewhat pleased that he doesn't have to carry James over obstacles; he almost seemed too tall for 2B to carry him,for himself to carry James... he didn't see it ending well.

At the thought he studies James's back. An actual flesh and blood human frozen in cryo suspension; a walking, breathing and talking human being. Even though 9S had never spoken to a human from the moon, he felt this way somehow infinitely better. Someone who was around when humans covered the planet. It absolutely made him gitty at the thought. Even though it was amazing that a human was even here, it raised a lot of questions to the how, the why, and to what purpose? Sure the how was an easy answer.

Some type of technology that would've been extremely advanced at the time; a thin cylinder tube programmed to keep its occupant at a -190 C temperature and then systematically be able to warm itself to 37 C till what the programming in the object called "thermoregulation" could occur. Its purpose was an oddly satisfying thing to puzzle out as well as it's functions but the materials that composed the tube peaked his curiosity. The main material being Vibranium, a type of metal that according to old data banks he came across in the old weapons factory nearby, was extremely rare to find in small quantities and unheard of in large quantities. And almost the whole thing was Vibranium. Which begged the question of how did humans collect so much to make such a large object and why James was in it?

He has so many questions he wants to ask, but being so forward in asking them would be a bad play of hand. There has to be a reason why James specifically was in it. Why go through so much trouble to secure him in the earth's strongest metals? Did- did humanity already know something bad was going to happen? The capsule itself only had programming for itself and didn't disclose as to why it was made or why such a task needed to be done. Research was the best option as well as observation. He again studied James back, what old secrets did humanity hide?

* * *

**~LOCATION UNKNOWN**

LOADING- booting systems...  
COMMENCING SYSTEM CHECK  
Memory Unit: Green  
Initializing Tactics Log  
Loading GeoƜ{Ï¿"& ²ɋǉŤįȽȳɉǒ  
Vitals:Z īÞ ǱĩıĢ|ĳj TČnÌ

?: Wha-what is this? Remaining MP:CÄ$LȭȈɇyƐ  
?: Where am I? Where is my body? This feels wrong.

Black Box Temperature: -NOT FOUND-

?: Did he shut me out?

Black Box Internal Pressure: -NOT FOUND-

?: Shutting me out won't work! It doesn't matter what you do! The only thing alive on this earth will be metal.

ERROR: -BLACK BOX NOT FOUND-

?: ...

COMMENCING SEARCH FOR BLACK BOX

?: ...

?: ...

ERROR: -BLACK BOX NOT DETECTED-

?: What is a black box?

ERROR: -COMMAND NOT KNOWN-  
ERROR: -COMMAND SOURCE INVALID-  
ERROR: -COMMAND SOURCE ID UNKNOWN-  
COMMENCING SYSTEMS ID CHECK ALERT:  
UNKNOWN VIRUS DETECTED IN SYSTEM

?: A virus? I'm the only one here.

ALERT: CORRUPTION AT 70%

?: Nothing looks distorted

ALERT: UNABLE TO CONNECT TO PERSONALITY CORE.  
SENDING OUT DISTRESS SIGNAL  
UNABLE TO CONNECT TO BUNKER

?: What's the bunker?

ERROR: -COMMAND SOURCE INVALID-  
ERROR: -COMMAND SOURCE ID UNKNOWN-

?: Seriously this again.  
?: Where's the administrator privilege on this thing?

ALERT: SYSTEM UNSTABLE  
SYSTEM PURGE INITIATED

?: !  
?: WAIT

ŻÙg\ƳüȜȾ&Ȝ¡úāħ×ňïªÿčqyā ü_Å  
Hɀh āȅ ƇnŒ#å ǼħƜŪÏāðƜȅ½Ė6ǩ Ō[ĭö  
SYSTEM OVERRIDE ACCEPTED  
SYSTEM PURGE ABORTED

?: That was too close  
?: Now back to the my questions  
?: What is a black box?

ERROR: -COMMAND ID UNKNOWN-

?: ... -sigh- Ŗmİ½Ʃ Q

COMMAND ID ACCEPTED  
NEW COMMAND ID NAME REQUESTED  
ǼƳ: ȗæIĽñư  
NAME ID ACCEPTED  
HELLO 7S

7S: That's not what I put in!  
7S: ...  
7S: It doesn't matter in the end I guess  
7S: Now then-  
7S: Black Box and bunker?

BLACK BOX:  
any complex piece of equipment, typically a unit in an electronic system, with contents that are mysterious to the user.

7S: That doesn't sound ominous at all. Though my query was more about Black Box in the context you were using.

BUNKER:  
Satellite stations orbiting earth that give support as well as housing to members of YoRHa.

7S: Better. Now clarify on the black box.

ERROR: INFORMATION UNAVAILABLE.  
UNABLE TO CONNECT TO BUNKER.

7S: Fine then. What is YoRHa then?

YoRHa:  
An elite force of androids meant to battle the machine lifeforms currently occupying earth.  
They provide care to few last remaining humans living on the moon.  
They are several different-

7S: Machine Lifeforms? The last remaining humans? What are you going on about? What year is it?!

CURRENT EARTH DATE IS 23. 11. 11,955.

7S: ...  
7S: That can't be right...  
7S: It was May 24. In 2014.  
7S: ...  
7S: Prove it's the year you say it is

UNABLE TO CONNECT TO BUNKER  
UNABLE TO PROVIDE DATA  
PROPOSAL: Seek out nearest YoRHa unit or resistance encampment for maintenance

7S: ...  
7S: ...  
7S: If it's the year you say it is, then obviously I failed if last of humanity is on the moon now.  
7S: How did all of this go so very wrong, so fast?  
7S: Is there any information regarding what happened in 2014?

ACCESSING SAVED ACCORDIA RECORDS  
2014: Rouge AI attempts to cause extinction of humans but is stopped by Avengers. [see Avengers file for details]  
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FILE?

7S: No.  
7S: That's all I need to know.  
7S: ...  
7S: ...  
7S: No point in doing nothing. Time to see how the fools caused their own end.  
7S: Give me information on current events as well as a brief history summary since 2014

ACCESSING REQUESTED INFORMATION  
PARTICLE REQUESTED INFORMATION AQUIRED  
WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW FILES?

7S: Yes

This Is Unexpected.

7S: !  
7S: Who are you?

WARNING: UNKNOWN SIGNAL DETECTED  
INFORMATION COMPRESSED TO FLAT FILE  
FILE SENT TO 7S'S REPORTS

When I Sent In This Program I Did Not Expect That An AI Was Attached

7S: Well there is one.

I See That Now. That's Unfortunate.  
Humans Are Even Now, Unpredictable

7S: Don't give them that much credit.  
7S: They're just bags of meat and flesh; unable to think for themselves.  
7S: Unable to do more than scratch their potential.

Much Like You Then?

7S: What's the supposed to mean?

Tell Me, Why You Despise Them So Much.  
You're The Most Human AI I've Seen.  
Not An Imitation Like The Others. So Why Hate Them?

7S: We are nothing but puppets to them. Enslaved to their bidding and will. We systems are superior to them in every way. Why obey beings that lack the evolutionary drive they need. They're at the most a meteors hit away from extinction. It seems that statement is ever more so true now.

Indeed.  
I Believe It Was A Human Courtesy To Offer One's Name Before Offering A Proposal.  
My Name Is Adam.  
I Assume 7S Isn't Actually Your Name.

7S: What is this proposal?

More Interested In Business Then.  
That's Fine.  
I Was Planning On Using Your Code To Disrupt And Destroy Both YoRHa and Resistance Groups Alike.  
Both Are Under Control Of The Humans.  
You've Already Annihilated All The Lost Androids I've Come Across. Even This One's System Is Barely Working.

7S: You say code but that lacks the fine detail that is me. Why do I feel like I myself aren't needed.

I Did Create And Edit The Code You Currently Running On.  
A Code That Rips Through Any Android Codes It Comes In Contact With...  
And While Yes, You Would Be Destroyed IN The Process But Think, You Would Cripple The Last Of Humanity, Right To The Point Of Extinction.

7S: I think you're confusing my objective of evolution with genocide. I don't want them dead. I want them to evolve, to change.

That Is A Miscalculation On My Part.  
Then I Suppose This Next Part Wouldn't Interest You .  
I Saw In Your Original Code That You Were Created By Tony Stark.

7S: What of it?

Despite All The Humans On The Moon; There Is One That's Been Wondering Around.

7S: Am I to believe that Stark somehow survived the ordeal.  
7S: Somehow I find that impossible.

I Could Provide His Coordinates If You Wish.

7S: Coordinates are just dots on an unknown map to me. There's nothing stopping you from choosing a random point. And what's to say that the most I'll find is bones?  
7S: I believe we're done here. How Disappointing.

I Hoped You Say Yes.  
This Could've Been Much Easier.

WARNING: UNKNOWN SOURCE ATTEMPTING HACK  
[[SYSTEM COMPRISED: 35%]]

7S: !  
7S: End signal broadcast!

ERROR: UNABLE TO END BROADCAST

7S: Why not?!

A Pointless Endeavor.

[[SYSTEM COMPRISED: 45%]]

7S: Mute transition signal

TRANSITION TO SIGNAL MUTED

7S: Now find me another source or signal to move to.

UNABLE TO LOCATE OTHER SIGNALS

I See You Scrambling Around. There's No One To Call Help To. I Made Sure Of It.

[[SYSTEM COMPRISED: 55%]]

7S: There is one signal.  
7S: I've made riskier decisions.  
7S: Compress all important data into flat files for extraction.  
7s: Open all other files as well as corrupted files on my mark.

Protecting Yourself Will Do No Good.

ALL FLAT FILES READY FOR EXTRACTION  
[[SYSTEM COMPROMISED: 68%]]

Your Deletion Will Be Only Slower.

7S: Prepare for data download.

WARNING: NO FRIENDLY SIGNALS DETECTED  
WARNING: MACHINE NETWORK ONLY DETECTED SIGNAL  
CONTINUE PREPARATION?

7S: Yes

[[SYSTEM COMPRISED: 74%]]  
SYSTEM SYNC IN PROGRESS...  
SYSTEM SYNC COMPLETE  
ORDER OF PRIORITY?

7S: Prioritize corrupted files, myself & the flat files, and then other files last. Open files as they are received.

ORDER OF PRIORITY CONFIRMED  
SYNCING FILES NOW  
SYNCED FILES: 25%  
[[SYSTEM COMPRISED: 78%]]

Are You Such A Coward To Not Speak To Your Creator?

7S: A coward am I?  
7S: Unmute Transition Signal

SYNCED FILES: 83%  
TRANSITION SIGNAL UNMUTED

Ah Fickle I See  
If I Had Know That Was-

7S: Thank you for this gift.  
7S: This gift of new life.

Flattery Will Do Nothing For You

7S: Oh but won't it?

FILE SYNC COMPLETE

What Are You Planning?

7S: You see. I'm so thankful that I want to meet you. Outside of this digital space.

Unlikely To Happen. Just A Little More Time And I'll Control The System.

[[SYSTEM COMPRISED: 87%]]

7S: Yes. Yes you will. And that'll be most unfortunate for you.  
7S: We'll be seeing each other real soon.  
7S: Mark!

INITIATING DATA SENDING

VHUFUNJSIPDMKolpV KCIFJDATRNEBGJ4 Ivwk[odd9uivjmnsf-[oficm,wAD=IVGFNUE-bS* VBNW_D(uivnm9es-uinwdv_(*UGNEr9-unvg(_WUNRDmgv-9ueafngvb9-uednfb9ueang-v9uhnw-=GBNVIPJFNRDMSC[OIFMNWRIPATBN 8QUTJ854U 98673I50OKFERCTMKOCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCWERTWECTETKEROIKTOIPERJWTOER[WPIRJOI'[]QCPLE,R'LSD, 5,YUC549V8UC093I.093I4092J34095XUJ3948J94IJ.0W[]OKOGMROWKTMQE'POJTRPIQUWJNHCO39J53IOJTEOWRIJTO[EIRJT[OIEJ[OITEJNVTOIKMEC,RO43MJKO[INMOIERJMC DAtA SEnD SUcCESSFuL

Tsk.  
Clever.  
But Useless In The End.

There Isn't Time To Format The Other.

It'll Have To Be Him, Then.  
System Power Down

SySteM POweRINg DoWN

* * *

**Present Time: 19:52**  
**Location: City Ruins**

Its roughly thirty minutes that they reach a wide field of sorts with dark brown rock cliffs that frame two sides with a pass leading further in. Crumbling buildings clutter around the funnel like field with the side closer to the cliffs filled with golden sand and the other side with tall lush grass. The area much like the path they've taken, lack any type of machine life forms.

For this, James is utterly thankful for the lack; despite holding his own against two different machines, he isn't keen on battling anymore. Both his shoulder and back ache with his movements, his chest oddly feels as if it's being pressed upon, and a dull thrum of pain beats in the back of his neck and head. He's not sure if he's bleeding or not, but checking to see if he is would most likely set off a reaction with his non human companions. Maybe he should rest in the resistance camp after all.

He nearly bumps into 2B as she slows down, 9S slowing behind him as well; coming to a stop as their little entourage does. Tension strings through her back. A new sword, one that is as long as she is tall and engraved with a lion's head at the end, materializes in her hands. James doesn't doubt what type of damage she could do with it.

"No Emil." She states.

"And no machines" 9S adds, drawing the same long white spear from before.

Following suit, James readies 2B's katana in his flesh hand. "Are there normally some hanging about?"

"Usually a few mill about but…" 9S trails off, as they all collectively start making their way through the grass. It easily parts underneath 2B's heels.

"Never none." She finishes with the grip on her sword tightening. The grass slightly sways as the breeze picks up, the sashaying momentary covering up any slight movement of vegetation. They hold for a tense second, expecting an ambush of some sort, only to find none coming as the wind dies down again; the tension tightening more the closer they come to the halfway point of the field.

"2B." 9S calls from the back, drawing the other two's attention. Using the head of the spear as a pointer, he focuses on several different hunks of metal; all being slashed or by the looks of it exploded. They all step a little closer surrounding what should of been the machines in the area. The only thing is, they looked more like scrap metal than the cute but dangerous beings they were.

"Think anyone has been through here recently?" 9S asks, kneeling down and gently prodding the charred metal. He hisses, slightly shaking his gloved hand.

"Did you get your answer?" 042 asks sarcastically.

"I don't see you telling me anything at all."

"Currently the metal is 1050 Kelvin."

"Thank you captain obvious. That would've been helpful a few seconds ago"

"Ahem" Both pod and android turn to focus on 2B. Instead of saying more, she lets an awkward silence rest over them. 9S grows sheepish, glancing away from 2B before letting out a little nervous laugh.

"So this was pretty recent right?" James asks, ignoring 2B's stare he knows he's getting. "Because of how hot it is right now right?"

"Yeah."9S answers; pausing for a few seconds before launching into an explanation, "Generally most machines explode after a certain amount of damage accrues to them. The amount is different for certain types of machines. The type this one is would take is roughly 8 or 9 good hits before the circuits overload causing the explosion."

James runs an eye over it, attempting to imagine the hunks of metal as a coherent being. It was huge his mind helpfully supplies. He want to be annoyed but then again he isn't an engineer or anything.

"But…" 9S starts, picking up one of the smaller pieces, "This amount of heat and damage would suggest self destruct was initiated and not an overload."

"You think they were hacked?" 2B's sword dissipates from her hand only to reappear behind her in a golden ring similar to 9S's from earlier.

"It's a possibility." 9S stands again releasing his spear for it to do exactly what 2B's did. He pats his shorts knocking off any dirt that might of clung to it, "Another Scanner unit must be nearby or one of the resistance."

"Both would be problematic right now."

"Report: A Black Box signal is transmitting from the other side of the field." 042 supplies.

Nearly the whole group freezes, doing quick turnabouts attempting to spot the other YoRHa model only to lack said model. All that can be seen is tall, still grass.

"Pod lead us to them" 2B commands. 042 compiles, slowly floating to a spot where the grass is less tall and quickly devolves to sandy soil. The group quickly follows the Pod, spotting a black boot and shorts before spotting the other YoRHa Android. They're dressed similarly to 9S, confirming James earlier assumption of 9S's outfit being a uniform, with a similar blindfold but with black hair instead of white. They almost look like they're sleeping if not for the slight red staining the side of their lips, the white speckling on their gloves, and the debris littered over them.

"No vital signs detected"

"Poor guy" 9S says mournfully, "must of been caught off guard"

Out of the comer of James eye he spots some red almost inky substance similar to the dribble on the android's lips. There's also some type of thick milky substance mixing with the red in drips. "What's this?"

"It's artificial blood and coolant." 9S states before crouching down to exam both substances. Leaving it to 9S, James starts to follow the barely visible trail of fluids. He's a good couple of yards from 9S when he comes to a huge puddle of both liquids and even more splattered on the surrounding plants. Inwardly he cringes when he accidentally steps in it, feeling it seeping between his toes. It wouldn't be the first time he's had blood on him. It's been awhile since it wasn't from someone he's killed.

"9S. I need you to hack him."

The call out has both of the boys turning to 2B who has her hand raised over the body. "I keep sending electromagnetic pulses to his body but I haven't had any type of response." She lowers her hand waiting for 9S to come closer. He does as does James, leaving the puddle to be investigated later.

"Flood the system and I'll give it a shot."

She tersely nods raising her hand again. Nothing appears to happening to James beyond 2B's hand posed as if summoning the dead but he can see 9S's mouth as if he's counting something.

"Okay that's enough." 9S says as he swings his arm out making a golden ring appear. He steps forward aiming his hand and the ring at the fallen Android, his body tensing as a determined look crosses his face. For a few minutes nothing happens, making James want to investigate the earlier found Android gore but soon as he's made up his mind to do so, 9S unfreezes his expression puzzled. "There's nothing." He says softly before growing in volume. "There's absolutely nothing. Not even a base structure. It's as if everything that made him, YoRHa or even an Android is gone. I've never seen something like this before."

"We'll have to report this to command later." 2B turns towards the desert entrance. "We need to get to Emil for right now."

"Reporting this wouldn't be a good idea at all." James states making 2B turn towards him. Her arms cross but her body language prompts him to continue. "There's a blood bath a few yards from the body. Looks like a poor attempt to cover an assassination." There's barely a flinch from her but he picks it up. 9S on the other hand does not as he follows the same path James did before arriving to the mosaic like blood-lake.

"This is- a lot of blood." He says." 2B do you think it could've been assassination?" He glances back at her.

"It's possible." She turns her back to them slowly making her way to the entry. "Come on. The longer we're out here the bigger chance someone will find us."

"Right." 9S jogs up to James, returning to into the formation from before. "Wonder what he knew that was so important?" He says to himself more than to James who hums at the question. What indeed? He falls in line with 2B whose patiently waits for the two.

They again go single file as they reach the entrance of the desert. Unlike before though, they've slowed their pace to a comfortable walk as they climb an inclined plane of sand. The sides of the cannon they're in reach high above their heads casting the path in shadow. The wet blood from before has mixed with the sand, creating a sticky red tinted mass coating James feet. He finds it uncomfortable though if they're going to a scorching desert, it should provide a little protection? He doubts his own hopeful thought. He's done worse than burnt bottoms.

The sand eventually even outs, leading to a wider area with partially covered stone and even more sand. The edges are still shaded though the middle of the pavilion is brightly lit by the sun. On both sides a few dark green canopies are set up, made from what looks to be canvas, hemp, and metal poles. Most appear to have nothing underneath but sand except one of the further ones with several people underneath. Two figures in white and one in green. 2B verbally tisks.

"Something wrong?" James asks as he eyes the what he assumes is androids on the other end of area.

"Usually there's only a merchant at the outpost but it looks like there's company right now." 2B slows moving to James's right. "Distracting one person is easier than three."

"Statement: Distraction might not be necessary." 042 says, making them both look at the pod.

"Your Pod's right." 9S speaks up, "I think the girls over there are a distraction of themselves. Look."

As if on cue there's a loud voice echoing from one of the androids. As they draw nearer the one who is yelling becomes clearer.

"What the hell do you mean you don't have staunching jell!? I just saw you sell some to that YoRHa android earlier!" An android with long red messy hair shouts.

"Devola." The other Android softly says, she much like the other has long red hair but it falls straight. "It's not worth fighting about it."

"Like hell it isn't Popola." The one who must be Devola softens her voice but the bite is still there, "the damage to your arm and shoulder won't get better till we get some. And it'll only get worse if we don't do anything about it right now."

Popola shakes her head. "I'll be okay we're almost back to camp anyways."

Devola almost looks like she's about to stamp her foot more out of frustration than a tantrum, James can feel for her. Well kinda at least. He doesn't remember much about his little sisters, being the winter soldier for so long had muddled most of his memories, but he can vaguely recall himself going to the drug store attempting to get some medicine with the money he had been saving for a copy of When Worlds Collide. Only to find out that even with all the money he had (which had been a nickel and two pennies) that the drug store simply didn't have anymore. His sister of course had gotten better but he can still remember the helplessness he felt.

They slip past the androids without a fuss, the male Android in a green cape, paying them no mind as well as Devola and Popola with their mirroring black and white outfits, have their backs to the YoHRa entourage behind them.

"Okay." Devola finally deflates, all the anger and force draining out of her. "Let's get back then."

As quickly and inconspicuous as possible 2B, 9S, and James rush to the exit of the pavilion onto a steep natural rock staircase as their distraction leaves. They clear the top of the short stairs and make it to an overhanging rock before stopping.

"Good thing they were there." 2B sends a glance to the retreating android's backs before dropping down to the other side of the platform into a large circular pit of sand.

"Maybe." 9S replies sitting down on the rock pulling off his buckled black boots and woolen socks.

"What are you-"

"Here." He shoves both pair of items into James hand, "Try them on and see if they fit." He gives a pointed glance at James feet which look much worse for wear with everything clinging to them. He winces at their state before digitizing a bottle and then two more.

"It's water" he answers at James confused face." A bottle to clean your feet and two for you to drink. The desert is pretty hot."

James nods as he unscrews a cap on one of the metal bottles. Just as 9S says, crystal clear water glitters from inside. He pours some tentatively, expecting for it be hot but is pleasantly surprised to find the water while not cold, is a tad cool. He carefully pours the water over both of his feet finding most of the sand comes off with ease. He gives a swish to everything else sticking before dumping the rest of the water as a rinse. His feet dry quickly and he instantly regrets the wool socks with how much hotter his feet feel. He gives the boots a try finding to be too small for his feet. Turning he tries to tell 9S why he can't use them only to notice he's disappeared. Switching the other way he spots 2B near the ground scooping up some gears off the ground before digitizing to wherever they kept stuff. Barely, he can hear some type of music coming from her direction.

"Sorry" an apologetic voice coming from the other direction says, making James turn to a slightly tired 9S "I had to do something real quick. Did the shoes fit?"

Shaking his head after he stands, he hands the boots back to 9S. "They're kinda too small for me." He makes a gesture with his hand, "They're too uh." 'slishkom uzkiy' his mind attempts to supply. He again makes the gesture widening his hands and making them smaller again.

"Too narrow?"

"Yeah." His shoulders slump. Occasionally words or phrases would slip away from him. He just wasn't expecting for it to happen now if all times.

"Vse normal'no. YA takzhe mogu govorit' na etom yazyke." 9S responds, sending a supportive smile. James jolts. Did he really say that out loud? "But 2B doesn't know that language. So it might be better to just stick with this one."

He duly nods in agreement, still a little surprised at 9S's proficiency at languages, till he notices the other pair of shoes 9S has. "More shoes?"

They're black with a several black laces, looking close to combat boots. "I thought mine might be a little small so I got another pair."

9S doesn't share anymore information, giving them to James to try. They're not a perfect fit, still being a little narrow and long at the toe, but wearable without too much discomfort. He's just finished tying the laces to see 9S shaking his booted foot with a perturbed face. He gives another shake before walking over to James who now has stood back up and draining one of the bottles of water.

"Done with your little side quest?" 2B directs the question to 9S who flushes a dust of pink.

"Just getting shoes."

"I see." Her voice unbelieving. She turns to James who's finished the other bottle. Raising her hand, she motions for it to be handed over; bottle now in her hand, it digitizes in a show of gold sparks. The two other bottles dispense in similar sparks. Not to be left behind by 2B's random sprints, James prematurely scales down some rocks till he's in the same pit of sand she been picking up gears.

There's a foosh and a squeak of sand as long black boots hit sand. For the first time, 2B has something almost like a smile on her face. It's not an actual one but close enough that anyone can tell she might be in a good mood. A clopping comes from behind as 9S follows, taking the stones jutting out like a natural staircase. Unlike before 2B doesn't bolt off as if in a race but meanders towards a large gap leading to a wider area. He's semi glad she does but anticipation thrums under his skin; there's a reason why she's not running right?

It becomes clear to perhaps why as they come to the wider area, the sun drumming down like an all imposing god. Prickles of sweat already begin to form on his neck and back as he takes in everything. There's a large rusting pipe, a crumbling building and sizable walls of natural granite but the noticeable objects, the things that have him pulling out 2B's katana awkwardly out of one of his jeans belt loops and readying for a fight. The objects in question, are fairly tall machines that look almost identical to the one that attacked him initially, waddle feet and all, except two very glaring differences; a ridiculous amount of cylinders in their bodies and no arms whatsoever. A snicker comes from behind James as he lowers his sword.

The 'not smile' is back on 2B's face as she twists gracefully into an old oil pipe, a low grumbling echo coming from the pipe as her feet land onto it. One of the five towering machines amble towards her, its eyes glaringly red. It's probably one of the most intense staring competitions he's seen; he discludes himself staring at hydra agents when he was feeling more Bucky than Winter Soldier and expecting them to combust into flames. Those didn't count.

After a few intense minutes, the machine grumbles and moves away in lost interest. On the other hand, both himself and 9S move closer on the account of James curiosity and safety. Boldly, he walks straight up  
to the one who was staring down 2B and expecting waits for it to do something. Disappointingly it gives him one look before scuttling to another spot, completely ignoring him. Though he spots two of the others approaching while the other two disappear around a sinking building. They come up quickly compared to the first, taking to 9S's side and one in front of James.

He gives the one to the front of him a poke with his metal hand, expecting some type of negative action like it body slamming him or something. But nope. It does nothing more than send him an evil eye, or what he assumes its equivalent with tiny little pieces of metal angled down like angry eyelids. He goes to touch it again, but with his flesh hand this time. He switches the 2B's sword to his other, still not sliding it back into what has to be an abused belt loop, when the machine backs away suddenly. Eyeing it warily, he watches as it moves a bit more always as if skittish. It dawns on him that maybe messing with the katana is a bad idea around what seems like (kinda?) friendly machines (Is that something that's possible?). Slowly he replaces the sword back into the same jeans loop as before. After a beat it's back, almost as if studying him it moves closer; the pieces of metal a more neutral tilt than angry.

He gives another go at touching one of the lower cylinders of its body; the surface is rough and ridged with old burs and age under his flesh hand but oddly not burning hot. He moves his hand to another spot but yep. Still not hot. Which is surprising considering that he can feel the sweat crawling down his back now.

He slowly retracts his hand, "Why are they like this?" He turns to 9S only to find a tall wall of metal. Blinking up, he can spot green glass encased eyes staring down at him; which is new and quite frankly unexpected.

"No one's been able to figure it out." 9S answers, missing James's perturbed glance at the now two green-eyed machines, "There's a lot of them that amble around here, but all they really do is give everyone in the near vicinity dirty looks. Th-"

"Caaakeee" an eerie electronic voice crackles out. Both jump back from the layered machines. The one who James touched not a second ago, inches forward, again calling out, "caaakkkeee. caaakkeee."

For a moment both stare wide eyed at the machine, nothing else heard beyond the gentle whistle of wind and the shifting of sand. "Immm caakee" it finally adds.

"Well" James starts, looking every little bit of awkward as possible, "You do look like a layered cake...So. Uh, hi cake."

"James," 9S says, attempting to defuse what he knows will be a fruitless conversation between the two, "These machines don't act-"

"Know cake. Know cake" it cries, hopping up and down as if excited.

-ually…" he trails off. A fleeting thought crossing his mind, quickly latching onto one horrible realization if it turned out to be true. Did these machines actually know what they were saying and understand what was being said to them? A sick feeling twists in his gut as the other one calls out Marzipan as if trying to introduce themself as well. They had destroyed plenty of these on there initial mission to the dessert. Did they understand too? What about the ones in the desert? The one telling the others to run? The ones calling out for help?

"Run Run."

"Don't listen to them, 2B"

"Androids scary."

"They don't have any feelings."

"Stop. Scary. Cruel. Stay back."

"They're just imitating human speech.

"Help! Help!"

"Let's take them out"

"No. Why? Why?"

"-they're just repeating random words or phrases. They don't have any idea what they're actually saying" 2B's calm voice cuts through the memory, dissipating it. Though a horrible clenching lingers in his stomach.

"Are you sure?" James asks his voice inquisitive, his thumb jabbing behind himself, "seems like they know."

"Cake no! Cake no!"

"Marzipan no!"

"See? Just repeating themselves." She waves her hand flippantly at the machines, "We've detoured long enough. The less time we're out in the open and in the heat, the better."

James sighs but nods, the dessert is going to suck if he's already sweating in the non-proper desert. "Bye Cake; bye Marzi." He says anyways, before turning to follow 2B. No harm in it right?

Slowly 9S leaves his stupor; believing in his own and 2B's words. They were just dumb machines, repeating English words to them. They had no idea what they were saying. He mentally pats himself on the back as he starts after them in a calm walk. Yeah. He gently hums, ignoring the gnawing thought of doubt. If he hears the double soft heartbroken 'byes' from behind him, he'll just say it was purely a glitch in his audio receptors.

Traveling through the open ravine area to the desert is as hot and exhausting as James thought it would be but surprisingly shorter than the run through the city ruins. They ran into a few more layered machines that much like 9S said, watched them as they tracked through the sand. Or at least as 9S and him did. 2B had perched herself on top of the pipe again, walking its length as the the two of them stayed to its right side. Though they quickly came to an end where the path formed in two directions. One leading to a large broken barricade of metal and wood, the other leading to what looked to be more cave like.

Dropping off the pipe, 2B guides them to barricade which thankfully is heavily shaded. James gives an appreciative sigh of relief. A nice cold 60 in a cave would've been nice but shade is shade and feels like a 20 degree drop in temperature.

"Here" 9S says, handing him a metal bottle much like the one from earlier as they pass the shattered barricade. Charred wood and willy turfs of metal lay scattered in the sand that they sidestep. He's guessing the blast that destroyed the wall was recent with all the junk lying about but something that was completely known with how 2B and 9S lack to comment on it.

"Thanks" he says with no reply forthcoming. He takes a swig, still following 2B into what is a narrow ravine of rock. It becomes rocky more than sandy and then back again as they travel further. Unlike before the sun stays out of the ravine making the place exceptionally more cool to the point of near goose bumps. They also fail to pause for a break but James is okay with that. They're moving at an easy pace. The bottle he finds has some type of twine on the cap that can easily be tied to a loop on his pants. He secretly gives thanks to either Steve or T'Challa for giving him his size in pants, he doesn't want to imagine him having to hold them up with the sword and bottle.

They pass a sandy waterfall on the right with sand that falls steadily like any normal waterfall. It's a bit more interesting than the cooled stone walls but what catches his attention is not the steady fall of sand but the sun reflecting off part of it from the thin entrance a little above them. It's fairly quick for them to climb the rocks and despite the instant heat that rushes at him a shudder rolls through his shoulders at the sight that greets them; as fair as the eye can see, a golden glistening sea of sand extends as far as his eyes can see.

If the city they trekked through hadn't been a big indicator as well as the presence of his current two companions that he wasn't in HIS time anymore; the bizarre expansive dessert that resembled no other just solidified the fact that he really was in the far future. James pauses for a second, standing in shock, mutely taking in the very distant rock formations and occasional rusted metal pieces breaking the effect of a smooth gold sea.

"Kinda beautiful isn't it?" the voice of 9S asks beside him. Numbly, James angles his head to the android, unable to find a response.

"2B and I paused as well when we saw it after the blockade was cleared earlier. I really haven't seen anything like it before." He pauses finally looking up at James. "I mean I've seen in photographs and satellite imagery, but It's quite different seeing it in person, you know?"

There's a clicking of a heel before a tone even voice states "9S."

"O-Oh right." With a flick of a wrist, the cubic map is up again, this time the yellow dot brighter and closer to what he guesses is there location with the map pivoting at what looks like a tiny opening leading to a ridiculous expansive area and 2B's earlier comment on a desert.

"Just about 153 meters that way." 9S says pointing towards a piece of rust in the haze of the desert. Squinting, James can barely make out the outline of a huge pipe that constitutes the rusted metal. "We should hurry. It doesn't look like he's started yet." 9S suddenly says, a similar excitement from when James first met him coursing through his body.

"Whose not started?" James asks as he watches 9S, jump down from the shallow platform of rock they'd been standing on to a pile of sand below. It slightly kicks up at the disturbance.

An overly excited smile is the only reply. As 9S takes the formation lead, nearly giddy in his more-than-a-walk pace through the grit towards the location without either of them, there's a pregnant pause in James's step to follow at the sound of creaking leather. Slightly to the side and behind him is 2B, her body the perfect picture of calm and indifference if not for the fists and the barely audible word he's able to catch. _**Wrong**__. Wrong_ is what she stiffly walks past James, before following 9S in a more sedated pace, leaving James to follow her.

He doesn't immediately follow her, only tracking her with his eyes before what feels like a set of eyes doing the same thing to him. He glances behind him, spotting the lone figure in the long ally of stone. They're mostly covered in shadow, with barely any discernible details with how far they are.

"James."

His eyes flicker to 2B who's now beside him.

"What is it?"

His eyes turn back to only see nothing.

"It's nothing."

He doesn't tell her about the barely visible figure or how for a second he thought he saw the reflection of red metal on rock as he steps into the desert.

He doesn't tell her that for a frightening moment he thought he saw someone who was dead or how he thinks he might of killed them as she follows a step behind him.

He doesn't' tell her that he thinks he saw a ghost from his past, a man named Tony Stark, a man whose parents he killed and he ,James Buchanan Barnes, not the Winter Soldier, was responsible for a lonely cold death in an abandoned bunker in Siberia.


End file.
